No Longer Alone
by Iced Blood
Summary: Part 3, 7: The exams begin, Hinata is nervous, Gaara comes to a life-changing decision, and Naruto realizes that he's kind of dumb.
1. Prologue: Briefing

The young man stood nervously in the old man's office, sporadically clenching and unclenching his fists. Taking a deep breath, he glanced at the old man and cleared his throat.

"H-Hokage-sama...are you sure about this? They're just children. They haven't learned anything yet...there are a few exceptions for those who are part of an established clan, but...they still haven't had any formal training. What if something happens?"

The old man sighed as he placed a pinch of tobacco slowly and methodically into a long, thin pipe. "Iruka...you're acting as though I am planning to put them into the midst of a war zone. The Sand are our allies...and even if something were to happen, I'm making certain we'll have adequate protection for them."

The man called Iruka sighed heavily. "I don't know...the Sand's village is run differently than ours. I've been there several times; the people are much less...less...well, I don't really know how to say it, but..."

"I know what you mean, Iruka, but that is part of the reason I wish for your new class to go there. It would do them well to see another shinobi village, the Sand's especially since it is so vastly different from our own. They need to understand such things."

"I...I guess. I suppose I'm just overreacting."

The old man smiled slightly. "You care about your students. That is admirable, and a quality much sought in instructors; it was part of the reason you received the position at such a young age as you did. However, do not allow yourself to be so worried for them that you end up harming yourself. Try to calm down, Iruka. If you are tense, you are likely to make mistakes, ones you will regret later. Have faith in yourself and your fellows; the students will not come to harm."

Iruka forced himself to pull up a chair and sit down. As he began twiddling his thumbs, he snapped his arms down to his sides. "So...Hokage-sama...you said there were two reasons you want my new students to visit the Sand's village. One, I take it, is for the learning experience. What is the other?"

The old man struck fire to the pipe, took a deep draw from it, and stood up, beginning to pace behind his desk. "Well, Iruka...I'd not tell you this, but given your personal connection to young Naruto, I'm certain you will want to know, and I believe you deserve to."

"Naruto?" Iruka asked, suddenly paying much more attention. "What's this have to do with Naruto?"

"This information is confidential, Iruka; I expect you to treat it gravely. Tell no one. The second reason I wish for your students to go with you to the Sand is due to Naruto."

Iruka licked his lips nervously.

"The Kazekage has had a second son in the past few years...he has not disclosed this information to any but me, and only me because I am an ally. He is nine years old, the same age as Naruto, give or take a few months."

"Really?" Iruka asked, sitting straighter. A second son? He'd had no idea. He knew of two of the Kazekage's children: Kankurou and Temari, both promising future shinobi, but a third?

"Yes. His name is Sabaku no Gaara."

Gaara of the Desert.

Iruka raised an eyebrow. "Sabaku no Gaara...?" he repeated.

"Yes. More importantly, however, is that at his birth, the Shukaku was sealed within him. As such, he is an immensely powerful child already."

The Shukaku...the single-tailed raccoon demon...Iruka had heard the stories based around it; nearly every shinobi knew the stories of the Nine Bijuu, and while the Shukaku was thought to be one of the weakest of them, it was also reported to be the most insane.

"Sabaku no Gaara is a jinchuuriki..." Iruka murmured softly, realization dawning on his face. "Just like Naruto..."

"Precisely," the old man said with a nod. "From what I have heard from Kazekage's reports, young Gaara has become extremely unstable. He faces the same disdain as our Naruto does; everyone in the Sand knows he holds the Shukaku within him, but all Gaara knows in regard to why is that he has strange power...I believe that, based on this, it would be good for both Gaara and Naruto to meet each other. Though neither know they are a Jinchuuriki, they nonetheless will understand each other."

Iruka, too, understood now. He nodded, now fully in agreement with the plan. "I get it now," he said. "You're right; it will be good for Naruto to meet another like him...they will likely get along well, and when and if Naruto discovers that he holds the Kyuubi within _him_, he will have someone who understands."

"Yes," the old man agreed. "So...you agree that this plan should continue?"

"Yes," Iruka said. "I understand completely now."

"Good."

Iruka stood, bowed deeply. "Thank you for discussing this with me, Hokage-sama."

"Of course. You are dismissed, Iruka. If you would, inform your students of the trip to the Sand's village tomorrow. We cannot force them to go, of course, but if you would...make certain Naruto wishes to. Otherwise, it will be of little value."

"So...Naruto is the main reason for this."

"Yes."

"I understand. Trust me; he's never been outside our village. He'll want to go. I'll tell them tomorrow...and I'll make sure to get them excited about it. Better that they consider it a treat rather than an assignment; they will be easier to deal with."

The old man nodded. "Indeed."

With a final nod, Iruka turned and left the room, leaving the old man alone.

"Hopefully I won't end up regretting this..." he murmured as he sat down at his desk again. "This will either be a successful attempt at strengthening our alliance...or a disaster. It all depends on how Gaara reacts upon meeting Naruto...let them befriend each other..."

A ring of smoke rose from the old man's pipe, floated above him for a second or two before vanishing into the air.

He had calmed Iruka, but he had done nothing to settle his own nerves. If this didn't work the way he hoped...it could ruin everything.

* * *

_**I used to have a little "definitions" section here, but that was only for a good friend of mine who hadn't watched or read the series before. Now that she's stopped reading and writing fanfiction, I don't think that's necessary anymore. You guys know what I'm talking about, don't you? Otherwise, you wouldn't be here.  
**_


	2. 1, 1: Learning Experiences

No Longer Alone 

PART I:  
The Beginning

* * *

"There it is! That building right there! What's that?" 

Glancing up from his sandaled feet, Nara Shikamaru followed the pointing finger of his classmate, blonde-haired Uzumaki Naruto, and was face-to-face with a huge, obviously expensive compound. The elegantly sloping roofs and awnings looked like the waves of a paneled, clay ocean in the air; the white walls gleamed as if made of fine marble in the bright sunlight.

"That?" Shikamaru muttered, raising a thin black eyebrow over one black eye. "You had me skip class so you could ask me about a building? Why didn't you just ask one of the other villagers? Ask a neighbor or something. Why drag me such a long distance for such a troublesome question?"

Naruto pouted, crossing his arms over the spiral design on his black t-shirt. "'Cuz all the villagers're stupid. I asked 'em. I asked a whole bunch of 'em. None of 'em wanted to tell me. So I figured, since you're so smart, you might know. Is it a secret or something? How come nobody'll tell me?"

"It's no secret," Shikamaru said. "That's the home of the Hyuuga Clan, one of the oldest families in Konoha."

Naruto's eyebrows rose as he looked back at the compound. "Hyuuga? Sounds kinda familiar...who're they?"

"The Hyuuga Clan was one of the founding families of this village. The first members of the clan were a band of very successful mercenaries. It was partly because of their vast wealth that the first Hokage was able to establish the village."

Naruto frowned thoughtfully. "Yeah? Rich guys, huh?"

"Yes."

"So what made these mercenaries so special? I heard of mercenaries before...none of the ones I ever heard of had enough money to make a whole _village_."

"The Hyuuga retain a highly advanced bloodline limit, called the Byakugan."

"Bloodline limit?" Naruto echoed. "What's 'at?"

Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "Don't you _ever _pay attention in class? Iruka-sensei has gone over bloodline limits several times. It was on last week's test."

"I failed that thing. What're bloodline limits?"

Shikamaru sighed. "You ask such troublesome questions...a bloodline limit is a special ability passed down by blood. No one knows how they started, but once one is established, every member of that family will have that same bloodline limit. It's an abnormality in the family's DNA...I haven't studied them much, but that's enough for you to get it."

"So the Hyuuga Clan's full o' freaks."

"Don't treat them lightly, Naruto," Shikamaru warned. "The Hyuuga Clan is not only one of the richest clans in Konoha; it's also one of the strongest. Some of our best shinobi have come from that compound. The Byakugan--"

"Byaku-wha?"

"Byaku_gan_," Shikamaru snapped. "The Byaku_gan _is a doujutsu--"

"A what?"

"A _doujutsu_, a shinobi technique using the eye," Shikamaru said sharply, glaring at his classmate. "Kami-sama, you don't know _anything _about shinobi, do you?"

"That stuff's boring."

"Then why are you asking _me _about it?"

"I dunno. Anyways, what about this Byaku-thing?"

Sighing again (Shikamaru sighed often, especially around Naruto), the young genius continued: "The Byakugan is a doujutsu that allows the shinobi an almost 360-degree field of vision and also, from what I've read, allows him to also see the chakra circulatory system of his opponent."

"Chakra...that's the energy a ninja uses when he does ninjutsu, right?"

"Yes."

"And this...circula-what's-it system is..."

"It's like the blood stream, except instead of pumping blood, it pumps chakra."

"Oh."

"Anyway, this ability is why the Hyuuga Clan has its own style of taijutsu--"

"Hand-to-hand combat, right?"

"Yes...you do pay attention to _some _things, I guess...anyway, the Hyuuga Clan's taijutsu style is called Jyuuken. Instead of focusing on breaking bones and damaging muscles, like the sort of taijutsu most Konoha shinobi use, Jyuuken is designed to damage the chakra circulatory system, thereby crippling an enemy shinobi's ability to mold chakra, thus stopping them from using techniques. Without being able to use ninjutsu or genjutsu...that's illusionary techniques...most any enemy will fall rather quickly."

"Wow...so these guys are super strong, huh?"

"Yes."

"And they all live in there? The whole family?"

"Yes...at least, as far as I know."

"How many people are in the clan?"

"I'm not sure."

Naruto was studying the Hyuuga compound with intense curiosity, arms still crossed over his chest. "Is anybody from this clan in our class?"

"One," Shikamaru said. "Hyuuga Hinata. You know her; she's the small, shy girl who always sits in the back. She has gray eyes with no pupils...or at least, you can't see them. That's the mark of a person with the Byakugan bloodline limit."

"Oh, yeah...I think I know who you're talking about...I seen her sometimes when we're out doing physical training...she don't seem so strong."

"Maybe not yet, but neither are any of us. Well, there are rumors going around that Uchiha Sasuke can perform a fire jutsu, but I don't know that for sure. We just started at the academy, Naruto. It's only been a few weeks. Nobody's strong yet."

"Sasuke?" Naruto asked. "I think...I think I know that guy. Ain't he the one who all the girls are talking to all the time?"

"I guess. I don't really pay attention to that sort of thing...it's just troublesome."

"He knows ninjutsu already? I wonder if he'd teach _me_ how to do it..."

"I doubt it...and I don't even know if he really can. It's just a rumor."

"Maybe I'll ask him about it..."

"Whatever," Shikamaru said with a shrug. "Can we leave now? My feet hurt."

"Yeah, yeah, sure...thanks, Shikamaru."

"Uh-huh."

* * *

"_There _you two are!" 

Naruto jumped half a foot in the air and whirled to face the glaring, narrow eyes of his teacher. Iruka stood, arms crossed with a deep scowl on his lips. Shikamaru sighed and lowered his head, muttering about how troublesome this was.

"Uh...h-hey, Iruka-sensei," Naruto mumbled, a nervous grin on his face. "Um...how ya doin'?"

"Don't play cute with me!" Iruka snarled, gripping Naruto and Shikamaru by their arms and dragging them off toward the Konoha Shinobi Academy. "You two have skipped my class nine times in the past three weeks! How do you intend to become ninja if you don't learn!"

"I already know it..." Shikamaru muttered. "My dad made me study all that stuff in our library before I came to the academy...it's boring and troublesome..."

"It's also impossible to become a real ninja without graduating from the academy! Naruto, you always tell me how you'll become the best ninja Konoha has ever seen..._how _do you intend to do that if you never become a ninja!"

"I'll be a ninja my own way!" Naruto snapped. "Your lectures are boring, Iruka-sensei! Why don't you make them interesting?"

"I was praised for how well I give lectures that interest the audience," Iruka shot back, "so just feel lucky you have _me _or they'd be even more _boring! _Keep up! If you fall behind, it's your loss! I have a big announcement to make today, and if you miss it, you'll lose a big opportunity!"

Naruto sighed, thoroughly bored. "Probably one of those boring extra credit announcements..."

"You could use some of that!" Iruka growled. As he approached the academy, he let the two boys go and threw open the bright red double-doors and stalked inside. "Get in here!"

Naruto and Shikamaru shuffled inside and took their seats, leaning on their desks as Iruka took his place in front of them.

Heaving a sigh, Iruka wiped his hands on his pants and then crossed his arms over his chest. "All right...now that we're _all _here," he glared pointedly at Naruto and Shikamaru again, "I can announce today's at-home assignment."

The gathered students - on cue - groaned. Several whined about having too much homework, about how Iruka was a slave driver and how they never got a break. Others protested that they had too many chores to do at home and didn't have the time for homework. One boy even claimed to have recently been diagnosed with a severe allergy to paper.

Iruka waited until all was silent again before speaking. "Is everyone finished now? I'm going to assign this regardless of anything you come up with..."

The students grumbled and nodded, as if they were a single, ill-tempered body with twenty heads.

"Good. Now, Hokage-sama recently announced his scheduled meeting with the Kazekage, from the village hidden in the sand. I have been chosen as one of his escorts, therefore I will not be teaching this class during the time of his meeting."

Gasps of delight and half-whispered cheers sounded throughout the room. Iruka took a deep breath and studied the fingernails of his right hand until the room quieted down.

"Hokage-sama is leaving in a week from tomorrow. However, he has decided to do something else this year...every year Hokage-sama meets with the Kazekage, but he usually only selects a small group of chuunin and jounin to accompany him. This year, he will do something different."

Slight interest passed the students' faces.

"Hokage-sama has decided that it would be beneficial to this year's academy students to visit another village. As a learning experience, you see. So, he has doubled the number of chuunin and jounin traveling this year, and wishes to know how many of you wish to go as well, to spend a...small vacation, I suppose you'd say, at the village hidden in the sand."

"Will we have to take notes or something?" one boy asked irritably.

"Yeah," another boy said, "is there gonna be a test on sand stuff when we get back?"

"No, no," Iruka said, smiling slightly. "This is not required. Those of you who wish to stay here may do so. However, I highly recommend that you all take Hokage-sama up on his offer. I know many of you have never been outside our village of Konoha, and to see another shinobi village will be an important experience, a way to prepare you for when you become true ninja. After all, not all missions take place within this village...very few do, actually.

"This won't be a time to work. I'm not going to make you take notes or conduct interviews or anything like that. You'll just go with us, see the sights, meet new people, understand a different culture, all that. Now, I can see many of you are probably planning to pass. If it's not required, why do it? Right? Well, go ahead and stay here if you wish, but this has never happened before. You all should be honored that Hokage-sama has deemed you mature enough to handle such a journey. He will likely look favorably on you all for it, and it may give you an edge when the time comes for you to graduate."

As Iruka had figured, Naruto was now at attention; his eyes gleamed, his fists clenched. Iruka smiled. He wasn't sure at all if such a journey would give them an edge, as knowledge of other villages was not considered nearly as much as strength, intelligence, stamina, and teamwork were when considering candidates...but just by suggesting it, he had all but assured Naruto's willingness to participate. Any chance at impressing his superiors, Naruto took.

Uzumaki Naruto was a strange person. Though he was perfectly willing to perform any physical feat in order to further his own ability, he was nearly incapable of sitting still and working his mind. He often claimed he wished to become the best ninja ever and that he would do anything it took to do so, but he also barely ever paid attention in class. Iruka had the feeling that Naruto, like so many other young people, had made the false assumption that being a ninja meant being physically strong, and that was all that mattered.

This was the first time Iruka had had Naruto's complete attention in over a week. The blonde-haired boy was practically standing. He was excited, as Iruka had figured he would be. To go outside of the village, to go on a journey with the Hokage himself, to visit a place he had only ever heard of in lectures...it had Naruto completely enthralled.

Iruka smiled. Quite a few of the others had the same excitement on their faces. He had a feeling that hardly any of his twenty students would be staying home now that they realized they were special.

"Okay, now...for your assignment, I want you to speak to your families about this journey and get their permission to go...if you want to go, that is. Naruto, Sasuke, you - obviously - are exempt from this. If you wish to go, you may go."

Both boys nodded.

"All right, then. Class is dismissed. Naruto, Shikamaru, I'd like to have a word with you both."

Naruto's excitement was gone in an instant, replaced by complete disappointment. He stared at the floor as he dragged himself forward, hands stuffed into the pockets of his orange pants. Shikamaru had that same bored expression he always had.

Now..." Iruka began once the other students had left, "...which one of you would like to explain to me why you skipped my class today?"

He tapped his foot as he waited for an answer, mostly for effect.

"Well...uh...you see, Iruka-sensei... I, uh..." Naruto stammered, searching for the right words to explain, "...that is...well, see, there's this big old building on the other side of the village, and I wanted to know who lived there. It's a big place, ya know, and so I figured they must be real rich or something...but when I asked people, nobody would answer me. They'd just...go away. I thought maybe it was some secret or something...and since Shikamaru knows a lot of stuff, I thought he might know. So I asked him."

"And you couldn't have waited until _after _class to ask?"

"But I really, _really _wanted to know! And besides, everybody always goes home right after class. Nobody ever hangs around. They all got families to go to 'n stuff..."

Iruka found he wasn't angry anymore...not even irritated. Naruto had simply wanted the answer to a question, one nobody would provide him. So he had asked one of his classmates during the only time he could: during class. Because Naruto was right; the other students never stayed around after school was dismissed. They had families, friends...Naruto was an outcast. He only knew Nara Shikamaru casually, and Iruka had a thought that the only reason the young genius had consented to answer Naruto's questions was because it presented an opportunity to skip class.

Iruka sighed. "Fine...I guess it isn't too big of a deal...and did you learn anything from Shikamaru?"

"Oh, sure!" Naruto said. "He talked about, uh...bloodline limits, and, uh...doujutsu, and...and chakra 'n stuff."

"...Where did you go?"

Shikamaru finally spoke up. "The Hyuuga Clan's compound. Naruto wanted to know why they were so wealthy, so I told him about the Byakugan."

"Hmmm..." Iruka murmured, rubbing his chin. "Well, that's a start, I guess. I suppose I won't punish you, since you _did _learn _something_...but start coming to class more often, would you? You won't become a ninja if you don't learn the basics, Naruto. And Shikamaru...you may know the topics I talk about already, but that doesn't mean you don't have to graduate."

Shikamaru nodded. "Fine, fine...can I go now? My dad said he wanted to meet with me after class today."

"Fine."

Shikamaru left the room.

"So, Naruto..." Iruka said, and Naruto looked up at him, raising an eyebrow. "Do you remember all that Shikamaru told you?"

"Um...well, he said that the first guys in the Hyuuga Clan were mercenaries, and that's how they got all their money...and he said the...Byaku-whatever was a special...doujutsu that lets you see your enemy's, uh...chakra circular system--"

"Circulatory," Iruka corrected.

"Yeah, yeah, that's it...and he said the Hyuuga Clan's got this special taijutsu...the...uh...Jyuuken! Yeah! And...it focuses on damaging the...that chakra thing...so your enemy can't use jutsu, and that makes him easy to beat."

Iruka was impressed, and he didn't bother to hide it. "Well, it seems that you had a productive day despite going truant...at least it wasn't wasted time. What do you say we go over to Ichiraku and I buy us some lunch, huh?"

"Huh!" Naruto exclaimed, eyes widening. "Seriously!"

"Sure."

"Awesome! Let's go now!"

Iruka chuckled as Naruto shot out the door, singing a song about ramen to himself. The boy was a ball full of energy...it made for some very...surprising situations.

"One minute he's walking so slow you'd think he twisted his ankle...the next he's bouncing off the walls...you sure keep me on my toes, Naruto...always on my toes..."

He laughed silently to himself as he followed his undedicated but highly spirited (it seemed like an oxymoron, but somehow Naruto pulled it off) student to the restaurant.

"I should have offered to make him something..." Iruka muttered as he heard Naruto rattle off the various things he wanted to eat, "...one of these days all the sodium in that ramen is going to kill him...and it would have been cheaper, too..."

Somehow, Iruka knew he'd end up with no money by the end of the day.


	3. 1, 2: Love Hurts

* * *

_**I'm so, so, so, SO sorry! School took over my life for a long stretch of time and I couldn't find the time to work on this story. I hope you still have faith in me; I'll try my best not to let a gap like this happen again. The semester's almost over, so I'll have more time. Again, SORRY for taking so long to update. I haven't forgotten!**

* * *

_  
_There are various theories being studied in regard to the origin of bloodline limit techniques, but as of the writing of this text none have been proven. The first reported bloodline limit technique was within a member of the Yameshai Clan, from the shinobi village hidden in the vines (destroyed as of the mid-17th century), in the early 16th century. Records of the specifics of this technique are believed to have been destroyed during the Sonigi-Unizaki War which began in 1603 and ended in 1614._

_The Yameshai Clan rose to its peak in 1654, most likely due to their bloodline limit. The village hidden in the vines was ruled by the Yameshai for over two decades, and in 1683 was overthrown after the Inishi Rebellion._

_

* * *

_

"Jeez..."

"Eh?" Shikamaru raised an eyebrow at Naruto, who was leaning over a thick, leather-bound book he held in his lap. "What's that?"

Naruto looked up. "Some book Iruka-sensei gave me...he wants me to write a report on bloodline limits to make up for all the work I've missed...this stuff is so _boring_...and there's so many names and dates and other junk that nobody cares about anymore...how's he expect me to pay attention to this?"

Shikamaru smirked. "I don't know."

Naruto groaned, shut the book and tossed it aside, leaning back against the trunk of the tree he sat under. As he stared up at the clear sky, his mind wandered. He thought about the trip he would be taking, now in less than three days. The idea of going outside of his own village was extremely tantalizing, and he couldn't go seven seconds without thinking about it.

A grin rose on his face. "Whatcha think the sand village's like?" he murmured, and Shikamaru - who had been about to leave - turned and looked at him.

"I've heard some things...the people aren't exactly...friendly with outsiders, from what my dad's told me. I don't really get why Sandaime wants to take _us _there...it just seems troublesome."

"You think _everything _is troublesome," Naruto pointed out.

"Still, it doesn't sound like a good idea to me. The Kazekage is...unbalanced, I've heard. You can't tell with him. He might decide to turn on Sandaime at any minute...well, that's what my dad thinks, anyway."

"Does your dad know him? The Kazekage?"

"No...well, he's met him, but...he doesn't _know _him."

"Is your dad coming with us to the sand village?"

"Yes...he's one of Sandaime's escorts."

"Wow...so he must be super strong, huh?"

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. "He _is _a jounin. Of course he's strong...although he does let Mom push him around a lot..."

"Really? Is she a ninja, too?"

"My mom? No. She doesn't like fighting."

"But your dad still lets her boss him around? She's not even a ninja, and she's allowed to boss around a _jounin_?"

Shikamaru shrugged. "It's a troublesome thing...I've given up trying to understand."

"Iruka-sensei is always telling me to respect my superiors...shouldn't that count for everyone? Shouldn't your mom have to listen to your dad? He _is _her superior, right? He's an elite ninja!"

Shikamaru shrugged again. "I don't know."

Naruto frowned pensively, rubbing his chin as he mulled this over. It made no sense...the jounin were the pride of Konoha, the best of the best...and to let a civilian...?

"Aaagh!" Naruto groaned, shaking his head. "Whatever! This is all too confusing! Stupid book...stupid ninja ceremony crap...I just wanna get stronger! Who cares about all this history garbage! It's already happened, so who cares!"

Tossing the book away in disgust and deciding to ignore the oddity of a civilian bossing around an elite, he slumped back and stared at the sky again.

"How'd you handle all that studying...?" he asked.

When no answer came, he looked where Shikamaru had been standing to find him gone. Nowhere to be found. Vanished.

Naruto sighed.

It had happened again. The first chance to skip out had presented itself, and Nara Shikamaru, like so many others, had taken it. Nobody ever hung around for any longer than was polite...nobody stayed and talked to him for the fun of it; they never wanted to, they just did it because their parents had taught them politeness...

It had all happened before...who cared?

Nobody.

Uzumaki Naruto was alone...again. And he should have been used to it by now. It shouldn't have hurt anymore...for how often it had happened, for how often he spent his time by himself, it shouldn't have hurt.

...But it did.

No matter how many times it happened, looking up at who he thought had been listening to him only to find no one there always hurt.

* * *

"Naruto? How's that report coming?" 

The boy said nothing as he slurped his ramen. Iruka sighed...Naruto had seemed particularly sullen when Iruka had found the boy strolling aimlessly about the village with his hands stuffed in his pockets, so Iruka had - despite knowing he really couldn't afford it - offered to buy him lunch. As usual, Naruto had wanted ramen.

"Okay..." Naruto muttered. "But it's so _boring!_"

"Well, if you actually had done the work I _assigned_, you wouldn't have to do this. I'm giving you a break, here. I'm being extremely nice. One report and the slate is wiped clean. You said you were interested in the subject, the Byakugan specifically. You even have a classmate with the Byakugan ability. You should speak to Hinata about it. She could probably help you along. If you find the books I lent you so boring, there's an alternative."

"Yeah..." Naruto said, stirring his ramen with his chopsticks. "Maybe..."

His voice trailed off and his head turned. Iruka glanced at the boy to find his wide blue eyes riveted on something. Considering that the something in question _wasn't _his ramen, it was quite a noteworthy event.

Iruka followed his student's gaze and found he was looking at two of his classmates: Yamanaka Ino and Haruno Sakura. The two girls noticed them, and Iruka raised a hand.

"Hello, Ino, Sakura," he said with a pleasant smile.

"Hi, Iruka-sensei," they said in return, smiling themselves. They didn't bother greeting Naruto, but the blonde boy was too enthralled with them to make any note of it.

When the two were gone, Iruka turned back to Naruto and asked, "So...someone has a crush, does he?"

"Huh!" Naruto snapped his attention back to his instructor, face going bright red. "No! I don't have a crush on nobody!"

Iruka smirked as he slurped up a bite of his lunch. "...Uh-huh. Sure, Naruto, sure. No crush at _all_..."

"Hey! Shut up, Iruka-sensei! I _don't!_"

"Is it Ino? She's pretty popular."

_"No!"_

"Oh...Sakura, then? She's a nice girl. I can understand why you'd have a crush on her."

Naruto glared at Iruka heatedly. "I do _not _have a crush on Sakura-chan!"

"_Ooohhh..._Sakura-_chan_, is it? Oh, I'm _sorry_, Naruto...I didn't realize you were so...intimate with her."

"_SHUT UP!"_

Iruka laughed. "Come now, Naruto, all in fun. I'm sorry to upset you. It's nothing to be ashamed of, and you know I won't tell anyone. No problem if you like a girl."

The fire in Naruto's eyes dimmed. "...A-All right...I...I like Sakura..."

Iruka smiled. "Have you tried to talk to her?"

"_What! _Are you kidding! W-W-What would I say! S-S-She wouldn't...she wouldn't wanna...I mean..."

"How do you know unless you try?"

"Oh...what do _you _know, Iruka-sensei?"

Chuckling, Iruka ate more ramen and glanced around. "Oh, I know more than you think, Naruto. But it sounds like you're not too interested in this line of conversation, so...what say we change it?"

Naruto smiled, relieved. "Yeah...Iruka-sensei, have you ever been to the Sand village?"

"A few times, yes."

"Shikamaru says the people are mean there. 'Zat true?"

"Well...not _mean_, really...just...isolated. The people of the Sand don't get along very well with people from other villages. From what I know of their culture, they consider shinobi from the other hidden villages weak."

"But leaf-nin aren't weak! Where do they get off calling us weak!"

"Now, now," Iruka said soothingly, knowing that if he let Naruto go any further he would end up ranting at the top of his lungs for over an hour. Iruka had been subjected to quite a few of Naruto's feverishly angry monologues and knew that nothing not nailed down was safe from the Wrath of Uzumaki. Naruto would likely end up throwing his bowl at the ground and stomping on it, pretending it was a sand-nin's head.

"I know we aren't weak," Iruka continued. "But several villages carry the same opinion about their shinobi. Many of our own do. Have you ever heard Yoshi Nanaki talk about Konoha's ninja? He can argue for days about why we're better than any other corps of shinobi in history."

"...I guess. So you've been there, though? What's it look like?"

"Sand...everywhere. I haven't been there in quite a while. Most likely things have changed. You'll be there to see it for yourself in a few days. Just wait and surprise yourself, huh?"

"...Sure. I guess so."

Iruka sighed as he stirred his ramen - which was now just a bowl of broth - and wondered about what he'd been told in the Hokage's private chambers,

_...I wonder if Sabaku no Gaara will really get along with Naruto? If he's unbalanced, like Hokage-sama says, will he take kindly to anyone? What if...what if he hurts Naruto?_

"Hey, Iruka-sensei! Can I have seconds?"

"Huh? Oh, sure. Sure."

"Thanks!"

_I'm sure Hokage-sama has taken that possibility into account...he'll know what to do. I should just trust him. He isn't the Hokage for nothing._

_

* * *

_

The night was dry, as it always was, and cold...as it always was. Night was blisteringly cold in the village hidden in the sand...and no one knew it better than Sabaku no Gaara.

As he gazed solemnly at the village that was his home and his prison, young Gaara wondered what the people were doing. Why was no one else out at night like he was? How could they stay in their homes _every _night?

Yashamaru had told him once that other people "slept" at night...but Gaara had no idea what that meant. Apparently other people weren't able to move around all the time; they ran out of energy. Gaara didn't understand this. He never felt out of energy. He stayed "awake" all the time. Yashamaru said that was because he was special; it had to do with the same thing that made him unable to feel "pain." Was it the sand? Gaara didn't know.

He'd asked his father, his tutor, anyone who was willing to speak to him (a list that was dishearteningly short), but no one was able to enlighten him. No one seemed particularly interested in finding out for him, either, even though he was the son of the Kazekage.

Then again...he knew that some people didn't consider him a "son" of anyone...except the devil. He was commonly called a "monster," a "failed experiment," a "dangerous gamble." Never to his face (not yet, anyway); only when they thought he wasn't listening.

"They're sleeping...because they aren't monsters...they aren't dangerous...they aren't special..."

That was what Yashamaru called him...special...and Yashamaru was the only one who mattered. He was the only one who talked to him, who was friendly with him, who cared about what happen to him. Gaara had long since decided that Yashamaru was the only person in the village that he could trust. No one else, not even his father.

_Don't worry, Gaara. The others just don't understand you. They're ignorant, and they don't want to understand. You're not a monster. You're not dangerous. You're just a little boy. A very special little boy. But the other villagers don't see that. They're scared of you because you're different. But being different isn't bad. You're not bad, are you, Gaara? No...of course not. _

He had ruffled Gaara's hair then, a smile on his face, and Gaara had felt comfort. He wasn't sure if he understood love all that well, but he thought he loved Yashamaru. He was nice. And that was something he couldn't say about anyone else he'd ever met. Not his father, not the guards, not the other children, not anyone. Just Yashamaru.

He was nice.

And Gaara loved him.


	4. 1, 3: The Journey Begins

The day had come.

The Third Hokage, along with his jounin and chuunin escorts, left the village of Konoha at five in the morning, followed closely by a series of blurry-eyed, barely conscious students of the Academy.

Only two of the students weren't tired.

One was Uchiha Sasuke, a stone-faced youth who never revealed anything by his appearance; he looked far too old for his age, as though he had seen and experienced things so far beyond his peers that he was already an adult within a child's body.

The other, of course, was Uzumaki Naruto, who was far too excited to be leaving the walls of his village behind to complain about the hour. He was bouncing around, barely keeping his feet on the ground. The blonde's face was dominated by a beaming grin that stretched his face to the point where his eyes were closed.

"Hey, hey, hey! Iruka-sensei! How long's it gonna take to get there?"

Iruka smiled at his student's exuberance. There was something about Naruto's demeanor that always brightened his mood, even though most of his peers found that same something to be particularly annoying.

"It'll take at least a week, Naruto. And that's assuming we don't run into any obstacles along the way. Just enjoy the scenery for now."

Naruto was disappointed to find that it would take so long to get to their destination, but he was still in such a good mood that it didn't damper his spirits in the least. Instead of complaining, as Iruka had thought he might, Naruto simply danced back to his classmates and resumed walking, giggling softly under his breath, barely able to contain himself.

Yuuhi Kurenai, a chuunin like Iruka but well on her way to becoming a member of the elite, leaned close to him. "...How do you handle that boy, Iruka?"

"Oh, come on," Iruka said with a grin, "there's nothing wrong with him being excited. It's kind of refreshing, seeing him like that. What's so bad about it?"

Kurenai raised an eyebrow and shook her head. "You're far too...accepting of delinquent behavior, Iruka. A future shinobi should conduct himself with more...restraint."

"According to what? He has spirit, Kurenai. He won't be some cookie-cutter ninja fighting for no better reason than 'it's my duty.' We need more soldiers like him; he has real heart."

"Uh-huh...sure, Iruka. If you say so."

"...I understand your sentiment, Iruka."

Iruka turned and saw that Hatake Kakashi, a stern and stoic jounin, was walking beside him. The gray-haired ninja's face was covered, as ever, by his tight, black mask, but Iruka thought he saw a smile beneath it. Iruka smiled himself.

"You do?"

"Certainly," Kakashi replied in his deep, cultured voice. "A ninja with no drive is but a mindless puppet on his commander's strings...for a soldier to be effective, he must believe in what he does. If he does not, his heart will rebel against his body and he will be torn in two."

Iruka smiled. "Well said, Kakashi."

Another of those hidden smiles. "...Thank you, Iruka."

Kakashi was a mysterious man, one of those people you couldn't read no matter how long you knew him. Iruka could testify to that; he'd been acquainted with the tall, thin, perpetually bored jounin for years and knew no more about him now than he had on the first day he'd met him.

"Hey, hey! Whatcha talkin' about?"

Kakashi turned and regarded Naruto silently.

"You know," Iruka said, "you should be worried less about what _we're _doing...that report of yours needs doing, now, doesn't it?"

Naruto pouted. "Aw, c'mon! You said no work! This's a vacation!"

"Yes, and if you had done your report _before _today you wouldn't _have _any work. You knew the assignment; I gave you books to research it. You could have finished it before now...that you didn't is no one's fault but your own."

Naruto pouted, but he didn't object. He simply nodded and sulked as he walked away, hands stuffed into his pockets. Iruka chuckled as he watched the boy kicking at stones in the road.

"He's not as confrontational with you as with the rest of us," Kurenai noted with a frown.

Iruka glanced at her. "Perhaps that's because I treat him like a person instead of a cancer."

Iruka's face was pleasant enough, he was smiling, but there was an undercurrent of irritation in his voice; Kurenai looked at him without comment for a long moment before turning away.

Kakashi chuckled. "...It seems Kurenai can't bring herself to forget."

"I suppose not," Iruka replied. "It's a shame...it seems as though I'm the only one who can see in Naruto the potential to be a great ninja..."

"Surely not...Hokage-sama holds much that same belief..."

"And you? What do _you _think?"

Kakashi raised an eyebrow over his single visible eye (the other was covered by his hitai-ate headband). "Me...? Well...he has heart. I can say that much with confidence. But...Kurenai has a point...he'll need to learn self-control. Discipline. Otherwise...he'll be nothing to this village's military."

Iruka frowned thoughtfully. "That _is _true...but it's still early."

"Indeed."

* * *

Hyuuga Hinata hadn't had to ask her father's permission to take the trip to the Sand. In fact, she'd actually wanted to stay. Her father, however, was adamantly for it. She'd had no choice in the matter, despite what Iruka had said.

"You are a Hyuuga," her father, Hiashi, had said. "You will become a true warrior; this is your first mission. That fool of an instructor of yours, Iruka, may call it a vacation, but it is no vacation for you. I expect you to uphold the reputation of our clan, and that means you will not be having 'fun.' You will take care to pay attention to the Sand's activities; you had better have something substantial to report to me when you return."

Hinata hadn't said a word in response; it wasn't her place to defy his word. She was the heir to the Hyuuga name; she was Hyuuga Hiashi's eldest child...but that meant little. She had no authority in her house; all she did was follow her father's orders.

She didn't have the courage to defy him, even if she'd had the right to do it.

But she also felt she didn't have the courage to handle being so far away from the only home she knew. It was a double bind; she was too afraid to defy his orders, but also too afraid to comply with them. Stepping away from one fire only to find herself in another one.

She thought she would faint; her head already felt hazy and her vision was beginning to blur. It didn't help any that she hadn't been able to get to sleep the night before until two in the morning. So not only was she frightened out of her wits, but she was also exhausted.

Then she looked up and saw _him_.

He was chipper this morning, more so than he was most mornings. His eyes were bright, a smile resting easy on his lips. He was looking around seemingly at everything; unlike her, he seemed intoxicated by the new scenery, and was positively glowing with excitement. Everything that frightened her, he gasped at with surprised delight, pointing it out to whoever happened to be next to him.

Hinata admired Uzumaki Naruto. In this, she was isolated from her peers and her elders. She was the only person in the entirety of Konoha who looked upon the blonde's antics with awe rather than disdain. She didn't think him a nuisance; she didn't see him as annoying.

He was brave.

Hinata knew he was an orphan. He had no parents, and was probably the only nine-year-old in the country who lived on his own. Naruto was provided for by the village in terms of food, water, and electricity, but still...to have the responsibility of living by oneself at so young was something Hinata couldn't fathom. There were a lot of things about Naruto she couldn't fathom.

She wished she had his confidence. He was so easygoing, so determined, so...so...Naruto. There wasn't a way to describe what he was in Hinata's light gray eyes, none that she had been able to verbalize.

He was just Naruto, and she admired him.

Of course, Naruto wouldn't know her from anyone else in Konoha. She'd never spoken to him, not even once just to say hello. She kept her distance, the same as nearly everyone else did, just for a completely different reason.

Just like she didn't have the courage to defy her father, Hinata didn't have the courage to speak to the boy she so admired. Whenever she saw his eyes, her heart pounded and she worried that perhaps he had caught her watching him...if he ever did, he would ask her why, and she wouldn't be able to answer. She would faint if he ever caught her watching him.

And even though he _didn't_ catch her watching him, she almost fainted anyway when she found that he had bounced his way over to where she was. He wasn't looking at her, still enthralled with the surrounding trees as he was, but to have him so close to her...she could almost reach out and touch the fabric of his jacket...

"Hey!"

She jumped, eyes widening so far that they might have fallen from their sockets, and nervously turned her face to him. Yes...there was no mistake; he was looking at her. The exclamation had been directed at her. Her face burned as a deep, furious blush overtook her.

"...Y-Y-Y...Yes...?" she finally managed to stammer.

"You're Hinata, right? Hyuuga Hinata?"

Her tongue was suddenly too thick to move, and she barely managed to nod.

"Cool! See, 'cuz, uh...Iruka-sensei says I gotta do some dumb old report on bloodline limits, an' I heard you got one...right? Uh...oh, what's it called? Shikamaru told me...um...Saskatchewan? No, that's not it...it was B-something...Be...Ba...Buh..."

"Byakugan," Hinata murmured.

"Yeah!" Naruto said in a voice so loud it made her flinch. "That's it! Byakugan! Um...well, anyways, I gotta get this stupid thing done so's Iruka-sensei will leave me alone...I figure you'd know more 'bout bloodline limits than any old book, seein's how you got one."

She was so sure that he noticed her blushing...he had to see it, didn't he? It had to be so obvious! But...he didn't say anything about it. He didn't even raise an eyebrow at it.

In her idealized thoughts, this was because he was being polite; in reality, he really _didn't_ notice how uncomfortable he was making the young Hyuuga.

"So, uh...you think you could tell me 'bout the...Byakugan?"

"O-O-Oh...sure! I'll...t-tell you what I know..."

Naruto grinned and tugged at his pack, bringing it around to his side and pulling out a notebook and a pencil. "Iruka-sensei says I gotta have notes 'n stuff, too. So, uh...whaddaya know?"

Her blush only intensified with his eyes on her like they were...she could feel his gaze on her skin, as if it were a physical thing, and it took her a long moment to gather her thoughts enough to form a reply.

"Well...the Byakugan is a...a doujutsu...you know what that is, d-don't you?"

"Yeah-huh! Shikamaru told me 'bout them! It's a jutsu you do with yer eye, right?" He pointed at his own eye for emphasis. "I wonder if anybody can, like...shoot lasers or something...that'd be so _cool_...just blink 'n _zap! _Yeah..."

Hinata actually managed a smile. "Well...the Byakugan can't do that...but...but it lets you have a view of everything around you...even behind you."

Naruto grinned. "Old man Hokage's always sayin' he's got eyes in the back of his head, so I shouldn't do anything...but you guys really _do_, huh? Sort of."

"Yeah...kind of. And...another thing...the Byakugan lets you see through things...like walls and doors, even people's skin."

"Whoa...X-ray vision! Awesome! Hey, betcha don't get to play pin the tail on the donkey, huh? You could just see through the blindfold!"

Naruto laughed at his joke, and Hinata chuckled nervously. She noticed a few of her classmates turned to look at Naruto with annoyed expressions on their faces. She didn't understand why they found him so annoying...it _was _funny...in a way. Why was laughing annoying? She liked his laugh. It was loud and clear; he didn't worry about other people staring at him when he laughed. When Naruto thought something was funny, he never just chuckled. He laughed out loud. He threw his head back and howled. No discreetness in Naruto.

She admired that.

When his laughter subsided, Naruto scratched his head. "So, uh...anyways...hey, you said you could see through skin...'zat how you can see the, uh...uh...chakra circle whatever?"

"Chakra circulatory system?"

"Yeah! That thing!"

"Um...yes."

"What's it look like?"

"Well...I...I can't...can't use it yet. My father says I should be able to...but I can't. I try...but..."

"Oh...Well, that's no biggie! Just keep on tryin'! That's what I do when I can't do something! I keep trying 'til I can!"

_I know...I've seen you..._

Something about those words...hearing those simple words from the boy she admired...made Hinata feel more confident, nearly able to face the days ahead.

Not quite...but almost.

There was just something about his steadfast faith in himself that made her think that maybe, just maybe, she could be strong like him.

She wished she could tell him this.

But she couldn't.

* * *

"Gaara-sama. Gaara-sama, are you in here?"

The small, red-haired boy turned and looked over at Yashamaru, who was looking at him through the doorway of his bedroom. "Yashamaru?"

The young man smiled as he opened the door and stepped inside. "Ah, good. I'm glad to see you here, Gaara-sama. Standing out there in the night all the time isn't good for you."

Yashamaru ran a hand through his short blond hair. He reached into a pocket of his pants and withdrew a small stuffed bear. "You must have dropped this, Gaara-sama. I found it outside yesterday." He smiled as he handed Gaara the toy. "You should take care to keep an eye on your belongings, Gaara-sama."

Gaara held the bear close, rubbing his cheek against the soft material. "...I lost her."

"It's fine, Gaara-sama. I found it for you. Just be careful from now on, okay?"

Gaara nodded against the bear's fur. "Yes...I'll be careful..."

He had dropped the bear while running from some of the villagers. They were older folk, two decades older than Gaara himself, and had been red-faced drunk. They had to be...they were slurring their words, stumbling over themselves, and...and they had been chasing him.

No sober person would chase him.

No person in their right mind would chase him.

Gaara hugged the bear tighter. "...Sabaku says she's glad you found her," he murmured softly.

"Sabaku?" Yashamaru repeated. "Is that your bear's name?"

Gaara nodded. "Just like me."

Yashamaru smiled. "I see. Well, Sabaku, you're very welcome."

Gaara smiled, too.

After a moment of silence, Yashamaru slipped his hands into his pockets. "Gaara-sama, there will be some people from the Leaf coming soon. The Hokage needs to meet with Kazekage-sama. He's bringing some others with him."

Gaara looked up.

"There's someone coming from the Leaf that the Hokage thinks you should meet, Gaara-sama. He doesn't say why, but he thinks it will be good for you."

Confused, Gaara stared at his caretaker. "Me? Why would...why would someone want to meet me? This person...this person will hate me, and run...just like everyone else..."

The boy buried his face in the bear's fur.

"No, Gaara-sama," Yashamaru said. "I have heard about the boy who's coming to meet you...he will not hate you. He will not run. This boy...is not like everyone else."

"I don't believe that," Gaara said, voice muffled. "Everyone hates me. Everyone runs. I've seen them. I've seen everyone."

"_I _don't hate you, Gaara-sama. _I _don't run."

"Yashamaru is special..."

A smile on his face, Yashamaru said, "So is this boy. Trust me, Gaara-sama...you'll want to meet him. It will be good for you."

"No one is special like Yashamaru..." Gaara was now speaking to the bear; he turned around and walked toward the window that dominated the west wall of his room. "Everyone else runs...they hate me...they call me monster...you've heard them. Only Yashamaru doesn't...Yashamaru calls me special..."

The blond-haired man sighed. Gaara did this whenever he felt uncomfortable with a situation; he slipped into himself, ignoring anyone else around him. He seemed to be talking to the bear he called Sabaku, but he would have talked like this even if he hadn't had an audience. He talked to himself often.

There was no one else to talk to.

With another sigh, Yashamaru turned on his heel and opened the door. As he slipped out of the room, he said, "The boy should be here in a week or so, Gaara-sama."

Gaara said nothing in response.

Yashamaru walked away.

* * *

_I realize this may not fit into the Action/Adventure genre right now...not much is happening. But this is the groundwork for the rest of it. If I try to speed it up in order to get to the exciting parts, it'll fall apart. So bear with me for now. And yes, Hinata will be an important character in my story. Before any of the NaruHina haters start waving their pitchforks at me, let me say that, while I am a fan of that pairing, I don't intend for any romantic elements in this story. That means no NarutoxGaara, either. Sorry, but for right now, I've no plans for anything. Who knows? Maybe that will change later on. But I don't think so._  



	5. 1, 4: Fears and Hopes

They surrounded him. Somehow they'd managed to sneak around him and they hadn't wasted any time. They'd just attacked, jumping out all at once like a team of synchronized swimmers who felt so confident in their ability that they'd left the water in favor of the infinitely more cumbersome arena of land.

But...they had no idea who they were dealing with.

Before any of them had a chance to land a strike, he was on the move. Flipping a kunai into each hand, he let fly in the same instant that he leapt out of the way, taking two down as he rolled to the side and sprang back up on his feet. He whirled and sent a foot slamming into another's face, the satisfying _crack _resounding through the air. One sought to take advantage of his turned back, but he was too quick. He leapt up, twisted in the air and sent a handful of shuriken into his attacker's face.

As he landed, he spun on his heel and brought up his hand to smack away a sword. He bled, but he barely noticed. His hand shot out quick as lightning and snatched the swordsman's wrist, snapping it with an expert twist. The katana fell with a clatter to the ground, and he instantly scooped it up.

Blade in hand, he was death incarnate. He scythed through the remaining ninja with all the grace of a professional dancer; every slice met with flesh, every slash critical, every thrust lethal. He whirled about his enemies like a steel whirlwind, a bloodstained tornado, sword singing its chorus of victory throughout the night, sounding brighter and holier to his ears than Heaven's choir. This was his calling. This was his destiny. He had been born wedded to the battlefield.

"Naruto!"

He started, his katana fell to the ground and he stumbled, stepping on it and snapping it in half.

As Naruto stared forlornly at the broken stick, he growled at the interference. Whirling around, he glared at Iruka. "Hey! I was fighting a group of missing-nin!"

The young chuunin chuckled as he rubbed at the scar running across the bridge of his nose. "I'm sure you were, Naruto, but dinner's ready, and if you don't eat now, the others will take your share. Come on."

Stuffing his hands into the pockets of his jacket, Naruto kicked at the dirt as he walked over to his instructor. "I was doing _good_, too...that was an important mission! You guys could've died if not for me! You should thank me by giving me more food!"

Iruka chuckled. "We're all grateful for your service, Naruto, but we have to make sure everyone eats, otherwise we won't all be in fighting condition. Then what happens if you run into an enemy you can't defeat? A group of _S-ranked_ missing-nins, say. We won't be able to back you up."

"I _was _fighting S-ranked missing-nins!" Naruto exclaimed haughtily as he sat down and took the bowl of stew Iruka offered him. "All the rest of 'em are too scared to fight me!"

"Oh, is that right? Wow, Naruto...I guess we'll have to promote you pretty soon here...if you're already taking on S-ranked criminals, you're probably ready for jounin...we won't even need you to take the exams."

Naruto grinned. "See? You're smart, Iruka-sensei. I don't need no stupid tests! I'm too good for that stuff!"

Some of the others turned to look at him with dark expressions on their faces. They were scowling at him, clearly annoyed. Iruka could hear what they were thinking:

_Him? Too good for exams? He can't even pass _one _of them!_

Iruka sighed. They couldn't let _anything _pass. No matter what Naruto said, they all had that expression. It didn't matter if he was clearly joking; they glared at him as if he'd just said the most insulting thing they'd ever heard.

There was only one of his students close enough to hear Naruto's proclamation who didn't react to it with ire. She looked at him with bright eyes and a smile.

Hyuuga Hinata.

_Hmmm...if Naruto wants to have a girlfriend, I think he might have a better chance with her than with Sakura...she likes him. Her eyes say it all, if her patience with him doesn't...all those questions he's asked her the past few days? She never gets annoyed._

"So," Iruka said, making sure to keep his voice low enough so that Hinata wouldn't hear, "how's your report coming?"

"Huh? Oh, that. It's cool."

"So you took my advice and talked to Hinata, huh?"

"Oh, yeah. She knows a lot of stuff. A bunch of the stuff in that old book you gave me was too confusing. She told me what all of it meant. And the way she told me about the, uh...Byakugan...why can't I remember that stupid name? Anyways, it's a lot cooler than I thought. Shikamaru didn't explain it good enough."

Iruka chuckled. "So have you started writing, yet?"

"Oh, not yet. I'm still writin' notes 'n stuff. I'm almost done. Hinata says that's why my grades suck. I don't take notes. So she says I should write a lot of stuff down so the report's easier."

_Hmmm...I've told him that, too...evidently he finds it easier to listen to someone his own age...or maybe it's just because she's so quiet...she can't have been very stern about the admonition._

Iruka wondered about this development. For the first time since Naruto had been entered into the academy, he was taking the work seriously.

"So...taking thorough notes this time around, huh?"

"Well, yeah. Hinata's pretty smart, ya know? I figure she prob'ly knows what she's talkin' about...plus, all the stuff I been learnin' is hard to remember...I'm gonna have to write it down to make sure I still got it when I write the report."

_I've told him _that_, too...I'm beginning to think it's just because she _isn't _an instructor...he doesn't feel like he's being bossed around by one of the higher-ups; he's being advised by a peer._

With a start, Iruka realized he had forgotten about his dinner. He took a bite, grimacing when he discovered it to be cold already. Sighing heavily, he ate it anyway, gulping it down with the discipline of a soldier who didn't know when his next meal would be. He didn't like beef stew all that much, and could only really stomach it when it was piping hot...cold, it nearly made him vomit.

Naruto had finished his dinner already, and since the conversation had lulled to a stop, he got up and went back out to find another stick so he could practice his swordsmanship.

As he watched his energetic student vanquish his invisible foes, Iruka pondered about what he'd been told. He turned and glanced at Hinata. When she looked at him, he smiled and nodded. "Hinata."

"H-Hello, Iruka-sensei," she said shyly.

Smile widening, he waved her over. "Could you come here a minute? I need to talk to you about something."

Setting an empty bowl aside, she stood up and walked over. Kneeling again beside her instructor, she looked at him curiously. "Yes...?"

"I notice you've been helping Naruto these past few days."

"O-Oh...well, he says...he says he needs to do a report...o-on bloodline limits, and...and he asked if I would h-help him...is that o-okay?"

"Of course. I'd hoped he'd ask you about it. You're the one student I have who can help him the most in understanding bloodline limits. Perhaps Sasuke...but there can be no assurance that his will even awaken...and he wouldn't want to speak about it, anyway...so, things have been going well?"

Hinata nodded. "Y-Yes."

"I hear you got him to take notes...quite the feat. I've never gotten him to write a single thing down that isn't an assignment...what did you say?"

"W-Well...I just said that Hokage-sama t-told me once that a strong ninja is one who...who can analyze information he receives in the field...o-observant, you know? And...and that note-taking helps with that...the more you write things down, the easier it gets to remember it. And if you remember things easily, you start noticing more. Well...that's what Hokage-sama told me. I just mentioned that to Naruto-kun."

_Naruto-_kun? _Heh...no doubt. She likes him._

Iruka laughed. "Well, well...seems you know how to talk to him already. Usually, all it takes for Naruto to do something is for you to mention it might help him on his road to becoming Hokage. Seems you did that."

"I...I also said that...that if he took notes more often, it would be easier to do and he could do it in class...so his grades would im-improve."

Iruka nodded. "He mentioned that...well, Hinata, I'm glad to see you're helping him out. Seems he could learn a lot from you."

Hinata blushed. "T-Thank you, Iruka-sensei..."

A thought occurred to him.

Sometime in the near future, Iruka was to give a report detailing which students got along well together and would benefit from being a team. Since, once the students graduated, they would be placed into three-man squads under a jounin commander, it was important to ensure that they would work together.

_...I'll have to recommend that Naruto and Hinata be placed in the same squad..._

He had thought about recommending that Sakura be placed with Naruto, just to be nice, but it was obvious that Hinata would be a better choice. She was a smart girl, and Naruto listened to her. It was obvious they got along; Naruto was very friendly when given a chance, something no one else had ever done. Most of the students considered him a hopeless, delinquent idiot.

It was decided. When the time came, Iruka would put Naruto and Hinata in the same squad. He was unsure about the third, but he figured someone would come along to round out their skills.

_I'll need someone advanced...Sasuke? Maybe...I'll just wait and see what happens._

"I-Iruka-sensei?"

Iruka glanced at Hinata, who was watching Naruto intently.

"Yes?"

"...W-Why does...why does e-everyone hate Naruto-kun? I...I know he does some things that...that are...w-well, bad, but...but why would they...?"

Iruka knew, of course. The adults of the village, those old enough to remember the Kyuubi, the cursed nine-tailed fox that had attacked Konoha, hated Naruto for his association with the beast. They viewed him not as a vessel for the Kyuubi, a living prison to keep it at bay, but as its reincarnation, and thus wished him dead. The children, Iruka could only guess at. He thought perhaps their parents had told them not to speak with him, and while they didn't understand _why_, they did it out of obedience.

Since this left Naruto isolated, he had no choice but to act out, to be loud and obnoxious so that people would pay attention to him. Iruka knew from experience that even bad attention was better than none. It hurt less to be yelled at than to be ignored. When people yelled, it meant they were investing energy into dealing with you; they were focused on you. That meant something. It gave meaning to Naruto's existence, something he had precious little of. Iruka, who had been a class clown himself in his youth, understood this all too well.

"...I don't know," Iruka said in a soft voice. "I guess they're just...more easily annoyed than we are. It's okay, though. Naruto's strong. He can handle himself...he has for years."

"But...but it has to hurt him...doesn't it?"

"I...I'm sure it does...but he never lets it bother him."

Hinata smiled. "I know..."

_Sheesh...she has it _bad_...I get the feeling whoever ends up their commander will have an...interesting situation to deal with. _

He chuckled at the thought.

"W-What's so funny, Iruka-sensei?"

"Huh? Oh...nothing. I just wonder if he realizes that defeating a _real _ninja will be a great deal more difficult than swinging a stick at the air..."

Hinata smiled again as she turned her attention back to Naruto. He still hadn't stopped moving; he was a constant blur of motion, swinging and jumping and kicking and hopping.

_He certainly has stamina...that will be an asset to him later on, _Iruka thought. _But unless he learns to control his movements, he'll end up with more trouble than anything else...I should give him some exercises when we get back, so he doesn't waste his energy forming bad habits._

_

* * *

_

The day was nearing when the Hokage would arrive, and Yashamaru was beginning to wonder how Gaara would react to meeting someone like this Uzumaki Naruto he'd been told about.

Naruto was a Jinchuuriki, like Gaara, and that meant that they would get along...well, according to the hopes of the Hokage. Yashamaru wasn't so sure. And he realized that, if indeed they ended up taking up arms against each other, the battle would be bloody. The Kyuubi and the Shukaku were not to be taken lightly, even by the strongest, most able of ninja. And while the demons were weakened by their imprisonment, they were still powerful.

For this reason, Yashamaru hoped that the Hokage was correct in his assumptions. A bloodbath was the last thing he needed. Besides, having a friend would likely calm Gaara down, thus lowering the chances of him wreaking havoc in the village. There had already been a couple of instances in which the red-haired child had hurt one of his peers (Yashamaru chuckled when he realized the irony of the term); none had yet been serious, but they had happened, so the chance was there.

At the moment, Gaara was staring out his window. He did this often, gazing forlornly out at the rest of the village, idly stroking the head of the stuffed bear he called Sabaku. The dark rings around his bright green eyes struck out particularly strong this day.

Some people hypothesized that these rings had to do with the fact that Gaara could not sleep, but Yashamaru didn't think that was the case. If it were, why did not the rest of Gaara's body suffer? Why just his eyes? No...Yashamaru thought it was the mark of the Shukaku, the great raccoon. A few of his fellows shared this thought, but the theory wasn't very important to Yashamaru and so he hadn't bothered to look into it, nor had he asked anyone else about it.

"Gaara-sama."

The boy turned those piercing, ringed eyes to him. "Huh?"

"The leaf-nin sent a scout ahead to inform us that the Hokage will be here soon. Are you ready to meet Uzumaki Naruto?"

Gaara frowned, turning back to the window. "I don't want to meet anyone...he'll just run away."

Yashamaru sighed. For all his attempts, he had not been able to convince Gaara that Naruto wouldn't run. There were any number of reactions the other boy might have, but he would not run. Yashamaru had been told much about the holder of the Kyuubi; he was confident in the extreme. Running was not in his nature.

"It would be rude not at least to _try _talking to him, Gaara-sama."

"I don't care...it's rude to run away."

"He won't run away, Gaara-sama. I swear it. Don't you trust me?"

"He will."

There was no getting through to him. He refused to listen. Yashamaru decided that the only person who could talk to him now would be Uzumaki Naruto himself. Only when they met and Naruto _didn't _run would Gaara accept the truth, and even then he would likely be suspicious.

Yashamaru sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Well...we'll see. He will be here in a couple of days. You'll see then. Naruto is different."

Still...Gaara's doubts were making Yashamaru second-guess it himself. The thought that Naruto _would _run away, while undeniably unlikely, dominated his mind. What if he did? He'd been assured it wouldn't happen, but what if it did? Then what would happen?

Yashamaru knew what would happen.

Gaara would sink even deeper into himself, and would be even less inclined to hold back when next he decided to attack someone. If Naruto turned his back on Gaara, the next time the Shukaku's sand was released...it would be stained with blood.

Yashamaru prayed that wouldn't happen.

* * *

_Yes...Sakura has been replaced. This was the first of two major alterations to the real story that I have planned. Can you guess the other one...? Hmmmm...? Heh. Well, anyway, Gaara and Naruto will meet in the next chapter; that's a promise. 'Til next time, all!_  



	6. 1, 5: Fated Meeting

"Whoa...this is the Sand's village...?"

Naruto happened to have been next to the Hokage when he said that, and the old man chuckled as he stroked his beard. "Yes, Naruto...the village hidden in the sand. Impressive, isn't it?"

Naruto nodded emphatically. "Iruka-sensei was right...there _is _sand everywhere..."

Sandaime (as he was called by the majority of the population of Konoha) looked around. "Yes...quite true. Just as our village is surrounded by forests."

Naruto's sandals crunched on the stone path as he walked. The homes were all uniform in design: squat, square dwellings with red roofs and walls the same color as the sand that dominated the rest of the scenery, making them blend in to the point where, if you squinted your eyes, it looked as though the roofs were floating in mid-air.

The only thing Naruto could see that was green were the cacti in front of each house: spiked, silent, green-clad security guards keeping watch over the streets. Other than that, Naruto could see no plant life anywhere. For a boy who had spent all of his life in a thriving forest, such a sight was daunting.

Sandaime stopped Naruto with a hand to his shoulder, then turned and regarded the rest of his company. He surveyed the students. "Each of you will be placed in groups. Three groups of six and one group of seven. One of my escorts will be placed at the head of each group, and will provide you with a tour of this village. Pay attention to what you see, ask questions, but be sure to stay in your group. Do you understand?"

They all nodded.

"Fine. Now, split up into groups. Remember: three groups of six and one group of seven."

The students did so quickly and silently, probably because they were tired of walking and in no mood to talk. Only Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke showed no signs of fatigue.

"Very good. Kakashi, Kurenai, Mizuki, and Asuma. Each of you take a group. Your first task will be to find a place to rest; the students look ready to fall asleep on their feet. Iruka, you come with me. The rest of you are free to go where you wish for the time being. Be ready for when I need you."

"Sir!" the chuunin and jounin called out as one.

As the others all left for various destinations, Naruto looked curiously up and Sandaime. "What about me?" he asked.

"You, Naruto, will come with me and Iruka. There is someone we would like you to meet."

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Really? Who?"

"The Kazekage's youngest son. His name is Sabaku no Gaara. This is part of the reason I allowed you to come with me for this meeting; the Kazekage and I believe it would be beneficial to both of you."

"...How come?"

Iruka smiled. "Let's just say he...deals with the same problems that you do, Naruto."

He was confused by this more than anything, but Naruto shrugged and followed his instructor. As he walked, Naruto noticed that the houses were all the same. Everywhere he looked. The sand-colored-box-topped-in-red motif was as consistent as the sand that filled his lungs whenever he breathed too deeply.

"So...if this Gaara guy is the Kazekage's son," Naruto murmured, "then is he powerful?"

Sandaime chuckled. "Very," he said. "The power in his blood is...quite remarkable."

"Aw, cool! Someone strong! All right!"

Iruka laughed nervously. "Yes, well...don't go sparring with him right off. You'll likely end up losing quite a few teeth."

Naruto waved off his instructor's concern. "Yeah, yeah, I know."

"Still," Sandaime said, "it is highly possible that you will learn something from young Gaara. He has been tutored in the shinobi arts for quite some time."

Naruto grinned, rubbing his hands together. "Oooh...I think I like this guy already...let's go!"

Sandaime and Iruka chuckled.

* * *

"Ah...Hokage...so nice to see you again..."

Something about the Kazekage's voice made Naruto think he wasn't telling the truth. He sounded...irritated. He sounded as if he had no time for the Hokage and was incensed that he had dared encroach on his territory to waste his time.

"Kazekage," Sandaime replied, crossing his arms and smiling pleasantly. "You're looking well."

Naruto didn't think he looked all that well. The Kazekage was thin, his face haggard and gaunt; his black eyes were dark and angry. His hair was wiry and unkempt, black like his eyes. To Naruto, it looked as if he hadn't slept in months.

"So are you..." the Kazekage murmured in his soft, raspy, angry voice. He sat down behind his desk and gestured. "Sit; let us conduct business immediately. We've much to do and little time to do it."

"Yes, yes," Sandaime said, sitting down. "Well, now...before we do that...you do remember our arrangement, do you not? Where is your youngest?"

The Kazekage glanced at Naruto, his eyes betraying no emotion. "...Oh, yes..._him_...well, Gaara is not here at the moment...Yashamaru, his caretaker, tells me he left some time ago."

"Iruka," Sandaime said without turning, "take Naruto and search out young Gaara, would you? I think he will be rather easy to find."

"Doubtlessly..." the Kazekage muttered.

Iruka nodded and turned on his heel. "Come on, Naruto. Let's go."

As he turned to follow his instructor, Naruto thought he understood now what Iruka had meant. The Kazekage had seemed particularly disdainful of his son. Naruto wondered why.

"Yeah...let's find him," Naruto said, eyes gleaming with determination. "...Now."

Iruka smiled. "Yes."

* * *

He sat on the swing, holding Sabaku in his arms, pushing himself with his toes. He watched the others playing kickball in the street. It looked like it might be fun; the others were laughing. He thought it seemed an easy enough game. They seemed to be making up their own rules during play, calling out fouls and goals with no semblance of coherency. It was as if the rules of the game were inconsequential, and the point was just to kick the ball and laugh. The score wasn't important, only the fun.

Sabaku no Gaara couldn't think of a time he'd ever had fun. He wasn't even sure what fun was, exactly, only that other people had it, and it was a good thing. Gaara wished he could have fun like the others.

But he couldn't.

They wouldn't allow him to play with them, even when he asked nicely like Yashamaru had taught him. They all stared at him with wide, frightened eyes, and never responded to his question, even if he asked again.

He didn't understand...why did they all run? What had he done? Yashamaru had told him they were just ignorant...but why did they hate him? Was he ugly? He had heard that people hated ugliness...perhaps he was ugly.

He stared down at his hands. He did not think they were ugly hands...but maybe they were. How would he know? He only knew what his tutors taught him...they did not teach him what ugliness was.

He continued to watch the game.

One of them made a kick toward what Gaara thought was the goal. The kick, however, had been some sort of trick maneuver, because it flew upward at an arc, perpendicular to the high wall behind the goal. The ball eventually landed atop the wall, effectively out of reach.

The children all groaned.

"Oh, no! How are we going to get it now!"

"It's too smooth to climb up!"

"We don't know that wall-climbing jutsu yet!"

"Somebody, get someone to help us get the ball!"

Gaara looked up at the ball. The wall was far too high for any of the children to reach...but they weren't special. Gaara smiled; he could finally show them.

He could help.

He got off the swing and set Sabaku onto it. He stepped forward, eyes on the ball, and thought hard about what he wanted. He wanted the ball; he wanted the ball in his hands.

The sand began to move.

He felt it, like extensions of his body, as it shifted toward him. He closed his eyes, focusing his mind on the object of his desire. The sand began to float about his body.

He opened his eyes again and lifted his arm, reaching for the ball. The sand responded to his movement, moving with the sinuousness of a flying serpent through the air.

The children watched the sand as it floated over their heads, eyes wide as it lifted the ball and carried it back to Gaara's waiting hands.

The sand dissolved and fell back to the ground, its work complete. Gaara gazed, fascinated, at the round toy. He looked up at the children, who were now staring at him. Their eyes alternated between him and their ball, fists clenching and unclenching as they wondered what to do.

Gaara held the ball out, attempting a smile to show them he wouldn't hurt them. "...Here."

"It's...it's..."

* * *

"Look, Naruto. Over there. That's him."

Naruto followed Iruka's finger and saw a small, red-haired boy holding a rubber ball. He was standing before a large group of other children. From where he stood, Naruto could barely make out the boy say,

"Here."

He held out the ball.

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "He seems nice."

"It's...it's...it's _Gaara!_" one boy cried.

"Sabaku no...Gaara!" another gasped.

The boy's eyes widened, trembling as the other children turned and started running away. The ball fell from the boy's nerveless fingers.

"W-Wait! Don't leave me alone!"

Naruto gasped as sand began gathering around the boy's feet. As he cried out for the other children to come back, the sand shot out toward them and caught one of the girls' ankles.

The boy's eyes were wide, his entire body shook with fear. He looked two seconds away from snapping. Naruto blinked several times as his hand reached up to cover his mouth.

Naruto jumped as he saw a tall, blond-haired man jet past him, running for the boy. Without thinking, Naruto followed him, eyes wide as he watched the boy's face.

Sabaku no Gaara's expression was one Naruto recognized.

He had seen it in the mirror far too many times.

This red-haired boy's bright green eyes...they were Naruto's eyes. This boy...he knew. Somehow...Naruto could feel it. Gaara knew.

The blond-haired man jumped in front of the girl just as the sand snapped her ankle. Arms crossed over his face, the man gasped for breath as blood flowed from a gash made from the force of the sand.

"Gaara-sama! Please calm down!"

Naruto watched, heart pounding, as the girl limped away, screaming. That scream...it made Naruto's chest ache. He closed his eyes, fists clenched, breathing deeply through his nose.

He knew what this was about.

The children had run from Gaara as so many of Naruto's own peers had run: from ignorant terror. It was more often that the children of Konoha simply ignored him, but every once in a while he would come across someone whose parents had called him a monster, and they would run from him. That scream would leave their lips. That same scream...

Naruto turned to look at the boy.

"Yashamaru..." Gaara whimpered, tears falling down his face.

Iruka was there. "W-What...what happened?"

"They...they...r-r-ran again..." Gaara said in a voice barely higher than a whisper. "They...they always run...always..."

"Gaara-sama..." the man called Yashamaru murmured.

Gaara lowered his head into his hands as he began to shake.

"He's like me..." Naruto whispered.

Iruka glanced at him. "Naruto?"

"Just like me..."

"Naruto, are you all right?"

He didn't answer. Instead, he walked forward, leaned down and picked up the ball at Gaara's feet. He looked at it silently for a moment.

_He tried to give them this...but they ran. He tried to be nice...and they screamed at him...they're just like the people back home...this isn't fair...not fair at all..._

Naruto heard Yashamaru ask Iruka, "Are you one of the shinobi from Konoha?"

"Yes..."

"And that is...?"

"Yes."

"I thought so."

Naruto frowned thoughtfully. This Yashamaru person knew about him? Had Sandaime told the people here about him? Had this meeting been planned from the start?

_Old man Hokage must've known he was like me...maybe...maybe he thought..._

Gaara looked up from his hands, eyes still wet with tears. "W-Who are...you?" he asked.

Naruto grinned broadly. "Hi. You're Gaara, right? My name's Naruto. Uzumaki Naruto. Nice to meetcha."

Gaara lowered his hands, staring quizzically at the blonde boy in front of him. "...N-Naruto...? From the leaf village?"

"Yep."

"...You...you aren't...you aren't running away..."

"Why'd I do that? No sense in running away 'fore saying hello. 'Sides, old man Hokage told me he wanted me to meet you. Dunno 'zactly why, but hey, you seem like a good enough guy. So whatcha doin' out here?"

Gaara continued to stare, making no attempt at speech. It was clear he was shocked. Naruto understood the feeling. The first time Iruka had spoken to him outside of class, he had been unsure of how to react. Forced to be alone for reasons he didn't know all throughout his life, Naruto had been unable to respond.

The same was evidently true of Sabaku no Gaara.

"Aw, don't worry 'bout them," Naruto continued, trying to get a response out of him. "Who cares 'bout them, anyways? Probably can't play any good...lotsa guys 'n my village dunno how to play any _real _games...they just make stuff up."

"...T-That...that's what...what they were doing..."

Gaara spoke as if he were in a trance, unable to comprehend what was happening. Naruto had a sudden urge to hunt down those kids and give each of them a black eye. Who did they think they were?

"Well, see? Sheesh...figures." Naruto bounced the ball on the ground, catching it as it came back up. "You know any games, Gaara? Any _real _games?"

"...N-No...not really..."

"Hmmm...too bad. Well, hey! I'll teach you a couple! I know lots of games. I live by myself, see, so I gotta do somethin' to pass time. Old man Hokage says we'll be here a while. He's gotta lot of weird stuff to talk to the Kazekage about...says it's important and, uh...confidential. Yeah. Confidential."

"You mean...you'll...play with me...? You won't...leave me alone?"

"Sure! You seem cool. And 'sides, games are more fun with two people. Where do you live, Gaara?"

He pointed toward the building Naruto and Iruka had left from about twenty minutes before. "T-There."

"C'mon! There's a lotta wind out here."

Gaara stood silent for a moment before following. Naruto glanced over his shoulder and grinned. "C'mon, slow-poke! Let's make the best outta the day, huh?"

Not knowing what else to do, Gaara nodded.

Yashamaru and Iruka watched the two boys as they walked away.

* * *

"...Seems they've already hit it off..." Iruka murmured. "Well, well...looks like Hokage-sama was right."

Yashamaru smiled slightly. "I'm glad...if they hadn't...things might have gotten ugly."

"Perhaps...but that's the thing about Naruto, I guess...he makes friends easily, when given the chance."

"Gaara-sama seems...out of sorts. I suppose he's simply surprised to have someone his own age treat him so civilly...no one here trusts him. I hear your Hokage has outlawed the discussing of the fact that Naruto is a Jinchuuriki...Kazekage-sama has made no such regulation. All know of the Shukaku."

Iruka frowned. "How unfair...and so pointless..."

"Only Gaara-sama doesn't realize what the Shukaku is...he knows that is what it is called, his special power...but he doesn't realize it is a Bijuu..."

"Hmmm..."

Iruka smiled slightly.

_I'll have to tell Hokage-sama that things are going smoothly...it probably won't be long before Naruto is friends with Sabaku no Gaara...he isn't used to kindness. You'd think I would know better by now than to doubt Hokage-sama's plans. He's was Hokage before I was born...he knows what he's doing._

He was relieved.

Naruto deserved a friend he could relate to.

And from what he had seen, so did Gaara.


	7. 1, 6: Outsiders

"You mentioned in a report to me that your son is...unbalanced."

Iruka stood with his hands behind his back, knees locked, eyes straight ahead, trying his best not to show his total disdain for the Kazekage. The man was bitter, uncaring, ignorant, and altogether an unfit leader in his opinion. It was because of this man that the Sand was a hostile village. As far as Iruka was concerned, the reason Sabaku no Gaara was "unbalanced" was solely because of his father.

"Yes..." the Kazekage said slowly in response. "It has become clear to me that Gaara is unfit to handle the Shukaku...he is a threat to my people."

_You don't care about your people_, Iruka thought savagely, having to bite the inside of his lip to keep from glaring at the man...he might not have been Iruka's commander, but he was still a Kage, and that awarded him a certain amount of respect. Or, at least, it would not be a good idea to fall out of one's favor.

Iruka doubted there was anyone who _wasn't _out of this man's favor.

"I have noticed that your people hold young Gaara with a certain amount of...fear. Perhaps this is the reason Gaara is...unbalanced, as you say? Surely such open negativity would have an effect on a child."

It was clear the Kazekage couldn't care less about Sandaime's opinion. "...Perhaps. Nevertheless, what's done is done, and Gaara is now unfit to serve as a ninja...something must be done with him before he does irrevocable harm."

Iruka knew what that meant. He wanted Gaara dead. Assassinations happened to be quite commonplace in the village hidden in the sand, although no one dared to call them that. The Kazekage was clearly a dictator, at least as far as Iruka was concerned. He led his village with no thought to the people, but only for himself. Iruka had seen the man on numerous occasions, and every time he did, his opinion became less and less positive.

Now, after seeing the depth of Gaara's madness firsthand, a madness brought on by _this _man (Iruka was sure of it)...it was only the knowledge that this was an ally coupled with the certainty that he, a mere chuunin, would stand no chance at doing anything but dying that kept his body from rebelling against his mind. The more he thought about it, the more he wanted to send his fist through the Kazekage's teeth.

He turned, about to leave despite the fact that Sandaime had requested his presence, when he saw the blond-haired man, Yashamaru, stride inside.

"Kazekage-sama," he said as he approached the desk, bowing deeply.

"What is it, Yashamaru? This is a private meeting."

"I know, Kazekage-sama, and I hope that you will forgive my rudeness, but I have just witnessed something that I thought you would like to hear about."

The Kazekage raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"It's...it's Gaara-sama. I just went to his chambers to check on him..."

"The Uzumaki child is with him."

"Yes...and that is the only explanation possible for this development. I've never seen it before...and while it may be a common occurrence throughout the village...for Gaara-sama...it is a phenomenon."

Slight interest lit in the man's dark eyes. "...A phenomenon."

"Yes, Kazekage-sama...he was...laughing."

The Kazekage's eyebrows rose. "What? _Gaara? _He's _never _laughed...not once! What...what happened?"

Yashamaru shrugged. "I...don't know, Kazekage-sama. He and Naruto were sitting at Gaara-sama's writing desk...laughing. Just...laughing. He actually seemed to be enjoying himself. He...seemed human."

Iruka closed his eyes. _He _is _human...you dolts just don't see it...what is the reason for this cursed prejudice? Do they honestly believe Jinchuuriki are...what, aliens? Animals?_

Still, Iruka's mood lightened almost instantly. Naruto had made him laugh, somehow. That was a good sign. He glanced down and saw Sandaime smiling. This was precisely what he had been hoping for.

"Hmmm..." Sandaime murmured, raising an eyebrow. "It seems as though _I _was _right_, Kazekage...and you told me it was a pointless endeavor..."

The Kazekage glared at Sandaime, clearly annoyed. "Fine, Hokage, so it seems you were correct...Gaara seems to have taken a liking to this Uzumaki boy...it still means little."

It was clear Sandaime didn't believe this.

Iruka didn't, either.

"Perhaps it means little...but perhaps it means a great deal. After all, records show that former Jinchuuriki were quite violent, but it was hypothesized that this violence was born from their being outcasts...alone, forced to fend for themselves. Perhaps having someone he can relate to will stop this tendency from arising in Gaara."

"The tendency for violence has already begun, Hokage," the Kazekage said with a scowl.

"And are you saying then that it cannot be reversed? Surely an intelligent man such as yourself cannot believe such a thing. Else why would we have prisons?"

The Kazekage's scowl deepened. "...Fine, Hokage. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt...let it be known, however, that it is my opinion that nothing will keep Gaara from losing control of the Shukaku."

Sandaime shrugged. "Very well. It is my opinion that yours is wrong. We can do naught but wait and see as of this point...can we?"

The Kazekage grunted. "Yashamaru, keep an eye on them."

"As you wish, Kazekage-sama," Yashamaru said, bowing again.

He turned toward the door, reached out for the knob, and stepped back when it opened. Iruka watched as Yuuhi Kurenai stepped into the room, leading a paler than usual Hyuuga Hinata inside with a hand on her shoulder.

"Hokage-sama," Kurenai said. "Hinata's hurt herself. I'd have found one of the others, but we were closest to here and the sand in the air is causing a problem. I can't clean out the wound, and I have no medical supplies with me."

Sandaime raised an eyebrow. "Nothing at all?"

"No. I apologize for my thoughtlessness, Hokage-sama, but I brought nothing with me."

Sandaime frowned.

Yashamaru knelt before the girl and reached out for her arm. "Let me see the wound, young one," he said, and Hinata removed her hand from the bleeding, dirty gash on her other arm.

"Hmmm...this sand will have to be cleaned out immediately...I've some supplies in Gaara-sama's room. What is your name, young one?"

Hinata licked her lips nervously. "H-H-Hinata."

"Come with me, Hinata. We'll get that cut fixed up."

"Iruka," Sandaime said. "Go with them, would you?"

Iruka nodded. "Fine."

He bowed and left, giving Kurenai a slight nod as he followed Yashamaru and Hinata out into the hall. Yashamaru glanced at Iruka with a faint smile.

"So...how bad is it?" Iruka asked, frowning worriedly at Hinata, who was wincing as she held her arm again.

"It's quite dirty, and will easily become infected if left unchecked. However, removing the sand will be a simple matter. There is no need to worry."

"How will you do it?"

Yashamaru chuckled. _"I_ won't. Not only would conventional methods of cleaning flesh wounds, such as those I know, be quite painful for a child as...frail as this girl, but it will not be all that efficient considering just how much sand has been allowed to enter it. If I were to trust my own ability, there would be no guaranteeing that infection will be prevented."

"So...what will you do?"

"Gaara-sama."

"Pardon?"

"He can extract the sand. I've taught him how, and I can say with confidence that he is quite good at it. If we allow Gaara-sama to do the cleaning, the chances of infection will be small enough to be disregarded."

"...Really."

"Yes."

Iruka frowned. "Well, it's worth a shot. You're certain he can do it?"

"Of course."

Iruka nodded and turned his attention to Hinata. "That looks like quite the cut, Hinata. What happened?"

Pale gray eyes turned up to look at him. "I...I was just...walking with Kurenai-sensei, and...and I...tripped. On a rock...I cut my arm on another rock..."

"Hmmm...well, we'll get it fixed right up. I'm surprised at Kurenai...she should have had first aid with her...she's usually so diligent about details like that...it's a shame we don't have any med-nins with us...nobody with even an inkling of knowledge on medical jutsus is available...you've no one here, Yashamaru?"

"No," the blonde man said. "Medical jutsus are very, very difficult...the only one I can think of would never assist an outsider. Don't fret, though...Iruka?"

Iruka nodded. "Yes."

"Don't fret, Iruka. Gaara-sama will do well."

* * *

Gaara had had no idea what a "card castle" was, but Naruto said he spent a lot of time building them, so he had gone along with it. The idea was surprisingly simple: take small, rectangular slips of plastic-coated paper (Naruto had snorted laughter when Gaara had asked what "cards" were until he'd realized it was a serious question), and use them to build something. Naruto's chosen structure was a pyramid, and that was what he taught Gaara.

"Ya take two of 'em," Naruto had said, "and set 'em up like this." He set the two cards on Gaara's desk, leaning them against each other so that they made an inverted V. "Now, ya take two more an' set 'em up right next to the other ones."

He did so, making an M.

"Then ya just keep makin' 'em like that. After ya built up the first level, ya take more cards 'n make a roof."

He placed cards horizontally over the small triangular shapes which reminded Gaara of sharp teeth, then started the process over on top. Gaara watched for a while, then his gaze eventually moved to the other boy's face.

Naruto had an expression of intense concentration on his face, an expression Gaara had seen on other children before when they played outside. Gaara wondered if that expression meant the activity was fun.

Naruto made the second level of his pyramid, and had just started on the third when the entire thing collapsed. Naruto froze, a card in each hand, staring at the pile of cards as if they had insulted him.

"Stupid cards...stay! You're supposed to stay!"

He turned his embarrassed face to Gaara. "Well, that ain't s'posed to happen...but it does a lot. One time I made on that was almost 's tall's _I _was 'fore it fell down...it sucked. They just went..._poof_."

He blew on the cards and laughed when they flew all about his head. "Hey, Gaara, check it out. I'm a giant."

He swept his arm across the desk and sent the cards flying onto the floor. "Gyaaargh! This village has been cast to the wind! Fear me, for I am Naruto the Great!"

Naruto burst into a fit of laughter,

Gaara stared wonderingly at the blonde for a while, then looked at the cards. He scratched his cheek, a thoughtful expression on his face, and lifted his hand in front of him. He summoned sand, formed it into the shape of a gauntleted fist, and positioned the fist above the fallen cards.

"Quake in fear, yon infidels, for ye are cast down beneath the iron fist of the earth god."

The fist fell onto the cards.

Naruto howled, falling off his chair and rolling on the floor. "That...that...was _great! _Awesome, Gaara, full on _awesome!"_

"...It was in a book Yashamaru gave to me."

Naruto continued to laugh hysterically, and as he watched, Gaara felt a strange feeling overtake him. He had never before felt the urge to laugh, as he had never seen or heard anything humorous (he was as reclusive as any person could ever be), and so didn't understand what was happening. Thinking back on what he had seen, the absurdity of what he himself had done, the complete and total absence of logical necessity in it, and seeing Naruto rolling on the floor like he was, Sabaku no Gaara laughed for the first time in his life.

He'd never known, and never would have imagined, a feeling so good as this.

* * *

Gaara had made three levels on a card pyramid of his own and was partway through the fourth when his door opened and Yashamaru came in. Naruto spun around on the stool he'd been sitting on and waved.

"Hey, Iruka-sensei! Whatcha doin' here?"

Gaara turned and saw the man with the scar across his nose he'd seen earlier in the day.

Gaara and Naruto both noticed the girl at the same time.

"Hiya, Hinata," Naruto said amiably, grinning. "What's up?"

"Um...um...h-hi, Naruto-kun," the girl said in a slight voice that Gaara could barely hear.

Yashamaru strode across the room toward the closet. As he opened it and began rummaging through the things inside, he said, "Gaara-sama, do you remember what I taught you about cleaning wounds?"

Gaara nodded. "Yes, Yashamaru."

"Good, because this girl here needs a gash cleaned out." Yashamaru stood up and placed a small first aid kit on the desk. "Your ability will make this much easier."

Gaara nodded again. He hopped off his stool and approached the girl, who looked at him nervously. She attempted a smile of greeting, but it didn't stay on her face long.

"Hey, Hinata!" Naruto called excitedly, coming up to her and grinning again. "This's Gaara! He's really cool! Gaara, this's Hinata. She's in my class."

"Hello," Gaara said, attempting a smile of his own.

"H-Hi," Hinata replied, clearly flustered but not wanting to be rude. "...I-Is this going to...hurt?"

Gaara shrugged. "I don't know."

"Don't worry," Yashamaru said. "He's practiced this technique on me and it's mostly painless. You'll be able to handle it."

Hinata glanced back at the man called Iruka, then at Naruto, then back to Gaara. She showed him the gash on her arm; sand covered and had seeped into the cut, and Gaara knew from his studying that it would become infected soon if something wasn't done.

He held out a hand just above the cut and reached out to the sand.

All eyes were on him as he worked, but he didn't notice. He was focused on the sand. He could feel it, deep in the girl's arm, as it slowly began to rise.

His senses were always heightened when he concentrated like this, and though the wound wasn't bleeding much, the coppery smell of blood filled his nose and almost made him gag. It was almost too much. He hated the smell of blood.

In the span of a minute the sand was gone; every bit of it had been extracted and now coated Gaara's hand. He looked at Hinata and attempted another smile. "It's clean."

Hinata stared at her arm for a long moment before turning her eyes back to him. "It...it barely hurt at all! Thank you!"

The slight smile on Gaara's face widened the smallest bit. "You're welcome...Hinata."

"Good work, Gaara-sama," Yashamaru said. "Now come here, Hinata, so we can finish things up."

Hinata walked over to the desk and sat on the stool where Gaara had been. She looked at Gaara's pyramid and was careful not to bump it as she held out her arm to Yashamaru.

He finished cleaning the cut with items from the first aid kit, wiped it clear with a small cloth, then wrapped it tightly with a bandage. His work finished, Yashamaru grinned. "There we have it. You'll be fine now."

"That was impressive."

Gaara turned and saw that Iruka was looking at him. "Huh?"

"Your technique, Gaara-san. It was most impressive. Quite useful."

Iruka was smiling.

"Yeah, that was cool!" Naruto agreed, slapping Gaara on the shoulder. "I wish I could do that! None of that peroxide crap or nothing!"

Gaara didn't realize that the small smile on his face had spread into a full grin.

He had never been praised before, except by Yashamaru.

It was nearly too much for his mind to process. He had heard the people of his village talk badly about the "outsiders" quite often (at least until they realized he was there; then they would talk badly about him), about how they were weak and stupid.

This day, he had met three "outsiders," and not one of them had run away. Instead, they talked to him. They were polite, like how Yashamaru had taught him to be. He'd been praised, thanked, and had learned how to laugh...all in one day, because of weak and stupid "outsiders."

Gaara thought that, if that was what being weak and stupid meant, then it wasn't a bad thing. He decided that the villagers talked badly about people from other villages for the same reason that they talked badly about him.

They were ignorant, just like Yashamaru said.

* * *

_Sorry; I know this chapter took a while. I'm dealing with a serious cold and haven't had much energy lately. In any case, I hope you enjoyed this. And if it turns out that Naruto doesn't like building card pyramids...oh, well. My Naruto does. _  



	8. 1, 7: Mission Postponed

"Kazekage-sama...about my mission..."

The dark, brooding Kazekage took a long draw from his pipe and glared at his subordinate. "What, Yashamaru? Are you backing down?"

Yashamaru sighed, running a hand through his hair. "No...not in so many words, Kazekage-sama...it's just that...the opportunity has been lost. There's no way I can succeed at this rate."

"Why? Are you so weak that you cannot handle such a simple--"

"Kazekage-sama, forgive my rudeness, but you don't understand. We cannot move forward with the plan now. The Hokage is staying much longer than usual because of the children. He'll be here for at least another week. More importantly, Gaara has obviously taken a liking to this Uzumaki boy. If I were to try killing him now, that boy would suspect something. Not only that, but the boy's instructor, Iruka...he doesn't hold you in high regard, Kazekage-sama. He may suspect your hand."

The leader of the Sand sighed in irritation. "...Perhaps you've a point. The Hokage would suspect something as well, no doubt. So what are you suggesting? That we hold off until they leave?"

"Yes. That would be best. Our alliance with the Hidden Leaf is rickety at best, and this mission would likely snap it."

"_That _is hardly my concern...I had planned on breaking off this useless alliance rather soon."

"Be that as it may, Kazekage-sama, we currently do not have the resources to fend them off. If Gaara were assassinated while the Leaf are here, they would become hostile. The Hokage holds the Leaf's Jinchuuriki with a rather obvious degree of affection. If he were to decide to attack, in an act of retribution, perhaps...we wouldn't stand a chance. The Leaf's ranks are far larger than our own; we won't be able to fend them off for years. Once our current genin are experienced enough, we will be able to defeat them, but now? Impossible."

"The Hokage isn't so foolish as to do such a thing, Yashamaru. He may be affectionate toward Uzumaki, that I will not refute, but he is a smart man...that much I must give him. He wouldn't attack us out of vengeance."

"Perhaps not, but we still stand to gain more by remaining on civil terms with them for now. We are benefiting greatly from trading with them, and losing those resources now would needlessly cripple us."

"I suppose you have a point. But you realize I do not appreciate keeping him around any longer than is necessary. He is a threat, and must be eliminated."

"That may be so, but at the moment the Uzumaki boy is holding Gaara's homicidal tendencies back. With any amount of luck, he will remain docile until the leaf-nin leave and we will be able to neutralize the threat."

"I don't deal in luck, Yashamaru."

"Nor do I, but from what I have seen thus far, Gaara is like a completely different being. The Shukaku has not taken hold of him since he has met Uzumaki."

"Which amounts to...five hours. Hardly a noteworthy span of docility."

"True...quite true. But it's still a good sign."

"Fine, fine. You've made your point, Yashamaru. Your mission will be postponed until the Hokage leaves. But I expect you to carry it out in all swiftness once that happens. No more excuses."

"Of course not."

The Kazekage smirked slightly as he shook his head. "Oh, I'm certain you'll come up with something. That...boy has been alive far longer than I would have liked, but you always find a way to _keep_ him alive. I'm beginning to suspect you actually care for him."

"I could not. That beast killed my sister."

"Indeed...well, prove your words by completing your mission at the very first opportunity. Else I will find someone more competent for the job. I gave this duty to you because you have a personal grudge to consider, but...should you prove inadequate..."

Yashamaru hurriedly bowed. "I will prove my worth, Kazekage-sama. As you say, the first available opportunity."

The Kazekage waved a hand. "Dismissed, Yashamaru."

* * *

Iruka sat down in the insultingly small room where Sandaime would be staying. The elderly ninja was sitting in the only other chair, across the small wooden table from where Iruka sat.

"Hokage-sama? You wished to speak with me?"

Sandaime nodded. "Yes, Iruka. You saw Naruto and Gaara earlier today, did you not?"

"Yes."

"Well? How are they getting along?"

"From what I've seen, Hokage-sama, Gaara has had even less experience with people than Naruto...far less. He's obviously had no one treat him even civilly. You know how the children of our village will at least speak to Naruto out of politeness every once in a while. Well...here, from what I can surmise, that isn't the case. Gaara is treated like a monster from every front. Except that man, Yashamaru. He, at least, treats Gaara as if he is human...I'm not entirely certain how sincere it is, to tell the truth, but at least he puts up a front. He and Naruto are getting along splendidly, though. And it seems that he's taken a liking to Hinata as well. Not surprising, I suppose. Hinata is almost impossible to dislike...unlike the rest of her clan."

Sandaime chuckled. "Yes, well...there are always exceptions. How is Hinata, by the way?"

"Fine. Her wound has been attended to. Gaara has the ability to summon sand to himself, no doubt from the Shukaku. He was able to clean out Hinata's gash with hardly any effort at all. It's very impressive. I don't understand why he's so hated...he has quite a lot of talent; surely a village such as this would respect talent."

"Certainly. But even a talented dog is useless to a cruel master such as the Kazekage without a strong enough leash, something he obviously lacks. He doesn't see his son as an asset because Gaara evidently does not respond well to force. He rebels, and quite strongly. This might be because the Shukaku, according to every account I've read, hates being subjugated."

"Gaara seems to be a quiet boy," Iruka noted.

"Perhaps, but it is in times of stress that a Jinchuuriki will take on the aspects of the Bijuu he carries. The barriers between the demon and the holder are shaky when the holder is frightened or angry...I've done quite a lot of research on the subject, and every source agrees on this."

"So Gaara can hold the Shukaku back when in a peaceable mood, but if someone pushes him too far, something that happens quite often, evidently, the Bijuu pushes forward and lashes out. Because of this, he's considered a threat."

Sandaime nodded. "Naruto would doubtlessly have ended up the same way if our people were as openly hostile as the folk here."

Iruka frowned. "Naruto? I can't see him lashing out at anyone from our village."

"Nor can I...but remember that the Kyuubi is the strongest of the Nine...it's as proud as any creature can be. Given a chance, I'm certain it would love to extract vengeance."

"So why has it not? Our people aren't _as _hostile, but they still are."

"I don't know who sealed the Shukaku within Gaara, but I'm inclined to believe that the seal itself is probably much weaker than the Fourth's."

"Yondaime certainly was a prodigy..." Iruka murmured. "You're probably right. Only a handful of ninja in history could rival him...I've seen the seal. It's very complex."

"Indeed."

Sandaime stood up and began to pace. "But...you say Gaara and Naruto are getting along...that is certainly a good sign. And if you're right about Hinata, it is even better..."

"This is what you were hoping for, right?" Iruka asked, raising an eyebrow. "So...what now? Things are going as planned, but...what happens next?"

Sandaime chuckled. "I have an idea...but I'd like to wait a bit before saying anything. It will either be exceedingly easy or nearly impossible...given that we are dealing with the Kazekage...I'm inclined to think it will be the latter. Just...keep an eye on them for now. Make sure things continue as they are. And watch that Yashamaru...he works directly for the Kazekage...there's no telling with him. I don't like to speak ill of allies, but...this alliance is hanging by a thread. The Kazekage is not a trustworthy man."

"I've known that for quite some time, Hokage-sama," Iruka said. "I've never trusted him, personally...I can't bring myself to do it. He...just..._isn't _a fit leader."

"Yes, well...perhaps not, but he _is _the Sand's leader. So...watch what you say, and how you act. We don't need to get any more alienated from him by showing hostility. As much as I understand your thoughts on him, it will be necessary to be careful around him."

"Of course," Iruka said, nodding. "I understand, Hokage-sama. Don't worry."

Sandaime nodded as well. "Good. That is all for now, Iruka. Update me on the situation if anything important happens. You are dismissed, Iruka."

Iruka bowed and turned on his heel. "Thank you, Hokage-sama."

* * *

It was dark outside, and Naruto had given up on making a card pyramid. Each time he got even reasonably far, it fell, and so he had decided to simply watch Gaara. The red-haired boy had an extremely steady hand, one that had allowed him to make a pyramid that was by this point at least two heads taller than himself. He had started using sand to boost himself up so that he could reach the top. The base was huge, spanning the entire width of the desk, and it amazed Naruto that his new friend had learned so quickly.

Hinata was sitting on the floor, watching as the pyramid continued to grow. She looked at Naruto with an amazed expression on her face. "It looks so pretty!" she said, and Naruto had to agree. It _was _impressive, and the multitude of diamond shapes that could be seen within the construction were mesmerizing.

Naruto was more interested by the sand Gaara was sitting on, though. It seemed as solid as rock, but when he had tried touching it, it caved under his fingers and set itself back into position when he moved his hand back.

"He probably manipulates the sand with his chakra," Hinata murmured softly, as if she was talking more to herself than to Naruto, when he did this. "But he's our age...how could he have such precise control already...?"

Naruto looked up at Gaara. He waited until the boy's hands were clear of the pyramid after setting another two cards onto it before asking, "Hey, Gaara, how do you do all this stuff with sand? Is it ninjutsu or something?"

Gaara looked down and frowned thoughtfully. "I...don't know. I just...do it. Yashamaru says it's my special power...but I don't know how it works. It's like...moving my arms. I just...think, and the sand moves."

Naruto's eyebrows rose and he looked back at Hinata, who shrugged.

"I don't know how that's possible..." Hinata said. "Maybe...maybe a bloodline limit? One that's awakened at birth?"

"There're bloodline limits that're like that?" Naruto asked.

"Yes...they're rare, though. Usually it takes time...time or training. But there are some that exist in a newborn, and grow with the user. I...I guess that could be what's going on here...a technique like this could definitely explain why Gaara-san's father is Kazekage."

"Father can't do it," Gaara said, looking at Hinata with his strangely intense light green eyes. "Only I can. Yashamaru says only two people have had this special power before, and they weren't part of my family."

"Really? But...how could that be...?"

Gaara shrugged, turning back to his pyramid. "I've tried to find out," he said in a soft voice, "but all that I know is that people call my power Shukaku. I don't know what it means, or why it's called that."

"Shukaku..." Hinata whispered. "That's familiar...but I don't know where I've heard it before...Naruto-kun? Do you know?"

"Uh-uh. No clue. Sounds cool, though. Shukaku...heh. Awesome."

Naruto wondered if Gaara's special power, this Shukaku, was the reason why everyone in his village seemed to hate him. Were they all jealous of it? Naruto had to admit _he_ was. He had wondered from the beginning if such a technique could be learned...but if Hinata was right, and it was some sort of bloodline limit, then it couldn't. Was that why?

No...they were scared of it. They hated Gaara because they feared him. Naruto had heard from Iruka that everybody he had talked to thus far – save for Yashamaru – had refused to talk to him once he'd mentioned Gaara's name. They'd all been scared or angry or a combination of both. The people who were scared were usually younger folk, while the angry ones were older.

That made sense. It was the same for Naruto. People his own age were more likely to be frightened of him than adults. The adults were the ones who spit at him and called him useless and disgraceful.

The more Naruto learned about Sabaku no Gaara, the madder he got at the village hidden in the sand. Thinking of it now, a frown stretched on his face and his eyes narrowed.

"...Naruto-kun?"

He looked over at Hinata. "H-Huh? What? Sorry...I was thinking about something."

The young Hyuuga looked worried. "What...? You looked...upset."

"Huh? I did? Oh...nothing. Nothing. I'm just...tired, I guess. It's kinda late." He looked up at Gaara again. "And _somebody's _better than me at this even though he just learned how! That's not fair, Gaara! I been making these for years!"

Gaara looked down. "Your hands shake when you do it. That's why yours fall down."

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Well, sure. I know _that. _But I can't stop them from shaking. And I don't get how yours _don't _shake. It just ain't fair. You shouldn't be so much better 'n me!"

A smile grew on Gaara's face.

Naruto gave up and smiled as well. "Fine, fine, _be _better 'n me...I'll find something that'll stump you, though! You just wait! I got lotsa stuff with me!"

The smile didn't leave when Gaara turned his attention back to his pyramid.

Naruto stood up and walked over to his pack, sat down again and began to dig through it, mumbling to himself as he did.

Gaara placed the final two cards on the very top of his pyramid, shifted the sand under him so that he was farther away from it, and studied his work. He let the sand dissolve, dropping to the ground, and turned to Naruto.

"You know how to play tic-tac-toe?" Naruto asked, glancing up.

"I've never heard of it," Gaara said.

Naruto grinned, pulling out a pad of paper and a pen. "Cool. I love this game, but nobody ever wants to play with me."

Naruto placed the pad of paper on the floor and drew a 3 x 3 square grid with the pen. "Okay, so...there're X's and O's..."

* * *

_Yo. Hope you enjoyed this chapter. And since it was brought up again, let me reiterate: there are **no **plans for romance of any kind in this story. I'm no good at writing romance, as I've had no practice, and there are no real romantic themes in the main story, which this fic will follow rather closely. Don't worry; that doesn't mean this will be a rehashing of Kishimoto's story. I'll be altering quite a lot of it. Still, my point here is that, if the pairing isn't in the manga/anime, it won't be here. Since there are no pairings so far in the manga/anime, there won't be any here.  
_


	9. 1, 8: What is Pain?

It was dark as pitch outside when Yashamaru stepped into the room. Hinata and Gaara glanced up at him and greeted him, each in their own quiet way, but Naruto was too occupied with the sheet of paper in front of him to even notice the man. He chewed vigorously on the end of hia pen as his brow furrowed in concentration. He had an expression on his face that would have made Iruka gape.

He was focused.

Finally, hesitantly, as though he were committing a country to an irrevocable decision that would change the fate of all, he took the pen out of his mouth and brought it down, ever so slowly, to the paper.

He marked a large X in one of the squares.

Gaara glanced at the paper, took the pen when it was offered, and nonchalantly swooped an O into another of the squares. He glanced up at the blond-haired boy, shrugged that particular shrug of his, and blinked. "I win."

Naruto stared at the paper like it had just grown eyes. "How...how did I miss that! No way! You...you...how do you _do _that! This isn't fair!"

Gaara looked at him, his bright green eyes staring with complete neutrality. It was a creepy expression, one that made Naruto somewhat nervous, but one that he understood. Gaara was probably still in a daze. Naruto still couldn't recall his first conversation with his instructor, even though it had only been four weeks previous. Naruto had tried to strike up idle chitchat with his peers so many times that he'd long since forgotten the number, and a few of those peers had talked with him...for a while. But there was something...special about having someone _else _initiate the conversation. When Iruka had done that, four weeks ago, it had shocked young Naruto to his core. And he still had a hard time believing it. Now, _he _was the one initiating the conversation again, for someone like him, and he thought that he now understood what he himself must have looked like to Iruka.

Naruto wasn't one to conduct such deep thoughts. He preferred action to contemplation, and so it was rare that he found himself so...philosophical, if that was the right word. But now he was.

"Sheesh...no fair...Hinata, you wanna play?"

But she didn't answer.

Hinata was sitting with her legs crossed, arms flat against her sides, leaning slightly forward...fast asleep.

"...Oh. Uh...guess it's kinda late."

"Yashamaru," Gaara said, looking up at the young sand-nin. "Naruto is teaching me a game."

"Is that so?" Yashamaru murmured, glancing over his shoulder at the boy. "It sounds like you're enjoying yourself, Gaara-sama."

Gaara smiled his small smile and nodded. "Yes, Yashamaru."

"Good. I'm glad to hear it."

Naruto frowned, still studying the sheet of paper on the floor. "Gaara's good at this...he beat me every time!"

He reached down and picked up the paper. "No fair! No fair!" He began waving it around for emphasis, glaring at Yashamaru as if it were his fault. Then, suddenly, he dropped the paper and hissed. "Ow! Stupid paper!"

Examining his finger, Naruto saw a thin sliver of a cut. Grimacing, he popped the finger in his mouth. "Dumb paper cut!" he mumbled angrily.

Yashamaru glanced over. "Paper cut? Sorry, Naruto-san. Nothing I can do for that. I can make an ointment to ease the pain, but not until morning. I've no ingredients."

Naruto waved dismissively with his other hand. "I'm a ninja! I can handle a stupid paper cut!"

"What's a...paper cut?" Gaara asked.

Naruto raised an eyebrow, removing his finger from his mouth. "You don't know what a paper cut is, Gaara?"

The boy shook his head. "...No."

"It's a...cut from paper."

"But...what causes it?"

Yashamaru chuckled quietly. "Gaara-sama, not everyone has your talent. Most people's skin can be sliced open rather easily."

"Eh?" Naruto asked. "What?"

"Gaara-sama's special power to control sand allows him to protect himself," Yashamaru explained. "As a result...he has never been injured. It is a...subconscious ability, as far as I can ascertain. In other words, it is automatic. Whenever Gaara-sama is in danger, the sand protects him. A shield, if you will."

Naruto stared at the man. "...Whoa...he can do _that_, too? Sheesh!"

Yashamaru chuckled. "Yes...Gaara-sama is quite gifted. That is why he is being taught the way of the shinobi."

"Whoa...so he can't be wounded then! Awesome!"

It seemed like the more he learned about Sabaku no Gaara, the cooler he got. What a ninja!

"Wounds..." Gaara murmured thoughtfully, as if tasting the word. He looked over at Naruto's hand, at Hinata's gauze-covered arm, at Yashamaru's bandaged wrist and forehead (from the sand he had jumped in front of to save the girl ball player whose ankle had been broken).

"Yashamaru..." he said, looking up at his caretaker's face. "...Do wounds hurt?"

Yashamaru eyed his own wounds. "Just a little. They will heal quickly, though."

This didn't seem to help the situation any. If anything, Gaara looked even more confused. He frowned. "...What does pain feel like? I...I've never been hurt before...I was wondering how it felt..."

Yashamaru raised an eyebrow, put off by the odd question. Naruto, too, found he had no answer. What _did _pain feel like? How could you explain it? Any word used to describe pain would have no meaning to someone who had never felt it...sting, burn, ache...

"...How should I explain this...?" Yashamaru said contemplatively. "...It's...unbearable. Like...when a person is shot or cut, he becomes very ill at ease and he can't think normally. I...can't explain it very well, but...simply put, it's not a very good condition to be in."

Oh, _that _worked, Naruto thought. Yashamaru was right...he _couldn't _explain it very well. But, as much as the explanation didn't work, Naruto couldn't come up with anything better. Explaining pain to Gaara was like explaining color to a person born blind. In short...impossible.

"Unbearable..." Gaara repeated. "Then...do you hate me, Yashamaru?"

The boy was looking at the bandages on his caretaker's body again.

"People hurt each other and get hurt during their lifetimes," Yashamaru said with a gentle smile. "But...it is difficult to hate another."

Something was weird about the way Yashamaru had answered Gaara's question, but Naruto couldn't place it. Had Hinata, who was smarter and more observant, been awake, she likely would have caught on to the fact that...Yashamaru hadn't actually answered the question at all.

But Gaara smiled, his eyes brightening. "Thanks, Yashamaru! I...think I understand what hurting is, now."

The smile left his face almost as quickly as it had appeared.

"Maybe...maybe I'm injured, too...just like everyone else." Gaara put a hand to his chest, over his heart, his expression one of sadness. "I...always hurt here. I'm not bleeding, but...my chest really hurts here."

Naruto felt a new flash of anger at this village's people.

Yashamaru knelt down to Gaara's level, a solemn expression on his face. Reaching around his back, he pulled a thin knife from his belt. Looking down at his hand, he slowly slid the blade across one finger.

Gaara gasped.

"Flesh wounds bleed..." Yashamaru said, "...and they may seem painful. But as time goes by, the pain eventually disappears. And if you use medicine...like I did with Hinata today, the wounds will heal even faster." He mirrored Gaara's action, placing a hand over his heart. "But the tricky wounds...are the ones in your heart. Those are difficult to heal."

Gaara seemed confused. "A wound...of the heart?"

Yashamaru nodded. "A wound of the heart is different from a flesh wound. Unlike a flesh wound...there are no ointments to heal it, and there are times when they _never _heal. But...there is one thing that can heal a wound of the heart."

Yashamaru glanced over at a picture sitting on Gaara's desk, behind his card pyramid. Naruto hadn't noticed it before. He figured the woman in the picture was related to Yashamaru in some way...she looked just like him.

"It is a troublesome medicine...and you can only receive it from another person."

"What?" Gaara asked excitedly. "How can I heal this?"

"The thing that can heal a wound of the heart is...love."

"Love?" Gaara repeated.

"Yes."

"How...how can I get that? What should I do to get rid of this pain?"

"Gaara-sama...you have already received it."

Naruto had a feeling that this entire conversation was just one confusing sentence after another for Gaara. His face was a constant blank, and every time it seemed like he understood something, Yashamaru said something else to bewilder him.

"I tried to explain this to you before...but I didn't really know how to say it then. Love...love is the spirit of devoting yourself to someone important and close to you," Yashamaru continued. "It is expressed by caring for and protecting that person. Just like my sister." He looked back at the picture. Naruto took a moment to feel proud of himself for guessing correctly. "I believe that my sister always loved you, Gaara-sama...The Shukaku of the Sand is a living soul that is usually used for combat purposes."

Naruto raised an eyebrow. Living soul? What did _that _mean?

"But...the sand automatically protects you because of love. I believe the will of your mother is inside the sand. My sister probably wanted to protect you, even after her death."

So...Yashamaru was Gaara's uncle...Naruto looked at the picture again. That woman was Gaara's mother. So that was why her picture was in Gaara's room. The _only _picture in Gaara's room.

"Yashamaru..." Gaara said after a long silence, a slight smile returning to his face. "Thanks back there...for stopping me."

"My pleasure," Yashamaru replied with a smile of his own. "You are a person who is important and close to me, Gaara-sama."

Gaara's smile widened for a moment. Then he saw a drop of blood fall from Yashamaru's cut finger. He stepped forward, slowly, as if in a trance, and took hold of his caretaker's hand.

Then, as Naruto had done with his paper cut, Gaara put the bleeding finger into his mouth. Yashamaru's eyebrows raised slightly, but he said nothing. Naruto was silent as well.

* * *

When Gaara asked Yashamaru for ointment, Naruto hadn't known what the boy planned to do. Yashamaru had found some spare ointment in his own chambers, and had given it to Gaara in a paper bag.

It was late, very late, but Gaara went outside. Naruto followed him, if only in order to find out what his new friend was planning to do. He was tired, but he still managed to keep up.

Of course, Naruto had no idea where they were going, and when Gaara stopped at a house, the blond boy frowned thoughtfully. He looked at Gaara, then followed him up onto the porch.

Gaara knocked on the door several times. When it finally opened, the girl whose ankle had been broken stood there. Naruto understood now what the ointment was for, and he smiled.

"Hello," Gaara said with a slight smile. The girl's face was a mixture of fear and anger, but she said nothing. Her eyes were wide, and she was shaking. I...I'm sorry about before. It...it hurt, right?"

Gaara offered the bag to her. "This is ointment...use it if you want."

Naruto was almost – not quite, but almost – as shocked as Gaara himself when the girl scowled and shouted, "Go away!" before slamming the door shut. "Monster!"

Gaara looked heartbroken.

His eyes were wide and fearful, and it looked like he was about to cry.

Naruto, however, reacted in an entirely different manner.

He had thought they were bad before...but this took the cake.

"That...that...!"

It all came to a head. All the things his own village's people had done to him, all the cruel things he had heard about _this _village...the word "monster" brought back memories he hadn't known he'd had, of people looking at him with those wide, fearful, angry eyes, those scowling mouths with teeth that looked sharp, and that word...echoing through his mind like the cold, harsh laughter of a demon...

He couldn't run anymore. This was it. Done. Over. No more.

He shot forward, slamming his fists against the door. "Hey! Open the door!" He started kicking it, rage such as he had never felt burning through his body. He continued to shout at the girl behind the door with such venom in his voice that it was virtually unrecognizable. His voice sounded guttural...primal...like a wild animal.

He tried opening the door, but it had been locked. When he couldn't open it even after clawing at it so hard that his fingertips began to bleed, Naruto continued his assault, thrashing at the wood with a complete lack of control. This was too much. This wasn't just hatred...this was as cold as the devil's heart.

"_Open the door!" _Naruto screamed.

It finally opened, and a man stood behind the girl, most likely her father.

The splinter-ridden obstruction removed, Naruto slammed his white-knuckled fist into the girl's face, sending her reeling backward.

"_YOU JERK! WHAT THE HELL'S WRONG WITH YOU!"_

He got no answer. The door slammed shut again.

Naruto clenched his eyes shut, straining to calm himself. He didn't bother to "knock" on the door again...they wouldn't answer. He took deep breaths through his nose, trying to make himself stop shaking.

When he finally managed to get a hold on himself, Naruto turned and looked at Gaara. The red-haired boy had dropped the bag of ointment, and was now staring at Naruto as if he had grown a third arm.

"...C'mon, Gaara. Let's go back. These guys're useless."

Naruto started heading back toward the direction they had came, stuffing his hands – still balled into fists – into the pockets of his pants. Gaara walked with him.

"That was nice, Gaara. Really. They're just stupid. Really, _really _stupid. Just ignore 'em. They ain't worth it. People like that don't mean nothing, anyways. All you gotta think about is guys like Yashamaru. He's cool."

Naruto grinned and slung an arm around Gaara's shoulders. "You're a good guy, Gaara. Don't let dumb people like them say you aren't. They don't know nothin'. _They're _the monsters, not you."

Naruto kept talking all the way back, and he didn't notice the tears falling from Gaara's light green eyes.

He also didn't notice the trembling smile on his lips.

* * *

_Sorry this chapter took so long. With school starting, I haven't been doing much writing lately. Then, I discovered a new anime series and stopped thinking about Naruto for a while. Now I'm back, though, and the next one won't take so long to come. This was a hard chapter to write, as I wanted to make sure I had it right, which meant I had to find the right episode that corresponded to this part of Gaara's past. Since I couldn't remember which one it was, I had to guess. Finally found it, though, and after noting down the conversation between Yashamaru and Gaara, I used it as the groundwork for this chapter, changing it a bit to make it fit better. _

_This is one of three reasons I started writing this story. The first was the kickball scene. The second was this scene. The third is yet to come, but I think you'll like it. This chapter, though, was the one thing that made me stop thinking and start writing. The image of Naruto going off the deep end and attacking the door wouldn't leave my mind. It was rather cathartic to me, as I absolutely despise the anime's version...when Gaara lowers the bag of ointment and you see his face...no. I couldn't leave it alone._

_"Oh, but he hurt her; of course she's gonna be mad at him!"_

_ Not good enough. I hate that girl. _


	10. 1, 9: Plans for Transference

The next morning, Naruto woke up late. He was normally an early riser, but he'd stayed up too long. By the time he and Gaara had made it back from the harass-the-neighbors incident, it had been close to one in the morning.

Naruto had tried to stay up until Gaara went to sleep, but couldn't (obviously, since Gaara _never _slept). He had made it to three-thirty, then had fallen onto the floor.

When he woke, he felt groggy. His head hurt from the sunlight shining in his eyes, his hands hurt from the _stupid _door (the wounds he had suffered were all but gone, but there was still a strong ache), and his back hurt from sleeping on the ground. He wanted nothing more than to curl up into a ball and go back to sleep, but he couldn't find a comfortable position. The night before, it had seemed the most comfortable bed ever…not anymore.

He gave up and struggled to a sitting position.

Yashamaru was in the room, writing on a notepad. "Naruto-san," he said with a slight smile. "Good. Your Hokage is waiting for you. Hinata-san has left already."

Looking around, he saw that Hinata, indeed, wasn't in the room. Gaara was gone, too. He voiced his discovery.

"…Gaara-sama is with his tutor. I suggest you hurry; Hinata-san has been gone to near an hour."

"An hour!" Naruto cried, leaping to his feet. "Oh, crap!"

He shot out of the room, just knowing that he'd be in for it now. Old Man Hokage had found out about what he had done and was going to tear him apart for it. Not only that, but now he was an hour late, and that was going to make everything ten times worse!

_Oh, crud, what's he gonna do? _he thought feverishly as he ran full tilt through the halls. _What's Iruka-sensei gonna make me do this time? Crap, crap, crap! He's gonna make me walk back home by myself or something! Or blindfolded! Or backwards! Or carrying something on my head!_

None of these ideas had actually passed through Iruka's mind, of course, but that really didn't matter. The more scenarios Naruto thought up, the more fun they sounded, and he would probably end up trying quite a few of them on his own.

It was more than likely he would end up doing several at once, walking backwards on his hands with a blindfold over his eyes and a bowl of silverware balanced on his feet. This would only last for about seven seconds, when he would bump into somebody and end up sprawled on the ground with cutlery all over the place.

By the time Naruto stopped to take a breath, he had ceased being frightened by the punishment he was sure he would receive and was _hoping _for it.

It was then that he realized he had no idea where he was supposed to go.

* * *

"It's been nearly two hours…" Sandaime murmured. "Where is that boy?" 

Iruka, who knew Naruto better than anyone else, chuckled. "He's probably lost. Chances are he didn't bother asking where to meet us."

Sandaime sighed heavily and nodded. "You're probably right. Go and find him, would you, Iruka? I'm not in a hurry, but two hours is ridiculous. And make sure he hasn't broken anything."

Iruka nodded, bowed, and left the room.

As he walked, he wondered about what he'd heard early that morning. Someone from the village had stormed into the Kazekage's chamber, interrupting his meeting with Sandaime, yelling his head off about how _the beast _had showed up at his home and how one of _the leaf brats _had been with him. They had assaulted his daughter, he claimed, and was demanding retribution.

The Kazekage had waved it off as a small concern, but had said he would look into it. When Gaara has brought in and asked about it, though, the red-haired boy had denied being anywhere in the village past nightfall. He had played tic-tac-toe, a new game of which he was fond, with Naruto and Hinata until they had fallen asleep. He had then settled down to read.

Iruka had asked Yashamaru what had happened, and Gaara had told _him _a different story. Gaara had gone to the girl's house to give her ointment for the leg he had wounded, and Naruto had gone with him. The girl had refused the ointment and had shut the door in his face, calling him a monster.

Naruto had then, in a fit of anger, punched the girl in the face.

Iruka had reported this to Sandaime.

The elderly ninja had done something very odd, considering one of his people had, indeed, assaulted someone. He had laughed.

"All things considered, it's to be expected. Naruto himself has been called a monster for years…that word evidently struck a chord with him."

Iruka was sure that was the case. It made perfect sense.

_So Gaara lied…probably to keep Naruto from getting in trouble. Yashamaru said he was crying but happy when they came back…he's probably never had anyone defend him before._

Iruka smiled. He found himself proud of Naruto rather than upset. He'd seen the girl who'd been "assaulted," and she looked like a belligerent type…as far as the young chuunin was concerned, she'd deserved it. Besides, it was just a black eye. A villager from a hidden village of such "pride and power" as the Sand should be able to handle a black eye.

He laughed. So, they were the strongest of all the hidden villages until someone from _another_ village decided to deck them…then they went crying to the Kazekage for retaliation.

For once, Iruka agreed with the man. It wasn't worth worrying over.

"Crap, crap, crap! Where the heck do I go…?"

Iruka looked up and saw Naruto walking around, hands in his pockets, looking at each door he passed with an annoyed expression on his face.

"Ah, there you are," Iruka said, and Naruto jumped. "Hokage-sama is waiting for you, Naruto, Come on. We should hurry."

Naruto heaved a sigh of relief and followed his instructor.

"You must have been up late," Iruka said, "to have slept in so much. It's not like you."

"Eh…I tried to stay up 'til Gaara went to bed…but he never did."

"That's because Gaara doesn't sleep," Iruka said.

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Huh?"

"That's what I've heard, anyway. It's some sort of ability he has, I guess. He never runs out of energy…or at least, never needs to sleep in order to regain it."

Iruka knew what it was that kept Gaara awake, of course; he just couldn't tell Naruto about the demon. Sandaime had forbidden it, but he hadn't planned on doing it, anyway.

"Jeez!" Naruto cried. "He can do all that cool stuff with sand _and _he doesn't have to sleep! This is just crazy! _Lucky!"_

Naruto huffed and crossed his arms as he walked.

Iruka chuckled. Everything about Gaara that made his village hate him, Naruto was jealous of. Everything that made Gaara a monster in the Sand's eyes made him a hero in Naruto's.

And, from what Iruka had seen, Gaara was a promising future ninja, not a threat. Unbalanced? Now _there _was irony.

_When a group of psychopaths calls you insane…does it really count?_

Iruka chuckled again.

* * *

"Ah, Naruto…there you are."

Scratching his head, Naruto chuckled as he sat down. "Uh…sorry 'bout that."

Naruto glanced around and saw Hinata sitting beside him. He smiled slightly. "Hiya."

"H-Hello, Naruto-kun…"

"Now," Sandaime said, leaning his elbows on the desk he sat behind, "I'm sure you're both wondering why I wanted to see you."

Naruto had an idea…

"Well, you see…I want to find out the…social health, if you will, of young Gaara. I hear from the Kazekage that he is bordering on insane, and needs to be contained in order to keep the rest of the village safe."

Naruto snorted.

Sandaime chuckled. "Since the two of you spent last night with him, I wanted to see what you think. Naruto, Hinata, is Gaara insane?"

"No!" Naruto snapped immediately.

Hinata shook her head. "He…he was nice."

"I see…" Sandaime murmured. "Why do you think the Kazekage would say such a thing, then?"

"'Cuz he's a moron!"

"…I don't know, Hokage-sama."

"A…moron, you say?"

Naruto nodded. "He's prob'ly like the rest o' those jerks…they call Gaara a monster 'n run away from him and ignore him…then they 'spect him to be nice to 'em?"

Naruto crossed his arms, a frown plastered on his face. "Stupid…"

Sandaime frowned thoughtfully. "…I see. Hinata? Do you have anything to add?"

The dark-haired girl bit her lip nervously. "…Well…it's just…it seems a lot like…what our villagers do to Naruto-kun…"

Naruto nodded. "Yeah."

Sandaime rubbed his chin. "I thought so."

Iruka crossed his arms and cleared his throat. "I find it highly unlikely that Gaara is insane…and if he _is _being driven towards it, it's because of the village. They're one step away from_ asking _him to go nuts. They're openly hostile and their leader does nothing to curb it."

Upon hearing that, Naruto wondered if his own village would be just like this one if not for Sandaime…he didn't think so, but all the same, he felt a new appreciation for the old man.

"I had figured on this," Sandaime said. "I always take what the Kazekage tells me with a grain of salt…he tends to twist things in his favor when it comes to giving information. It isn't fair to call someone crazy simply because he retaliates when someone else hurts him. But, it seems that is precisely what he has done…I've seen Gaara as well, and I see no reason to deem him fit to confinement…I asked the Kazekage about this, and he told me 'the brat's just acting.' But…somehow, I doubt that."

"I-It…can't be healthy for Gaara-san…if his own father acts the same way as the rest of the village…"

"I agree, Hinata…I have noticed there are distinct parallels between this situation and our own…Naruto, you agreed that Gaara has gone through much the same as you, yourself, have?"

"Yeah…but it's worse. These guys're just flat-out _mean_…least back home _some _people're nice…"

Sandaime frowned. "…Well, as you know, I'm trying to stop the hostility of the villagers back home…but people are not easily changed. Family is an important aspect of our people's lives…and the fact that you are an orphan does not sit easily with them…I've tried convincing them that it is simple superstition…but…"

"Eh, don't worry 'bout it. They're just dumb. I know."

It seemed exceedingly stupid to Naruto that people would hate him just because he had no parents…but it seemed that was the case. He was, after all, the only one in the village who didn't belong to some sort of clan besides Iruka…but Iruka was a ninja. A teacher. That earned him respect.

That was why Naruto wanted to be a ninja, too. He would prove to the other villagers of his home that he was worth something. But he wouldn't stop at chuunin like Iruka had…he would go on until he became the next Hokage…then _everyone _would see that orphans weren't useless…that it _wasn't _bad luck to be an orphan or to be associated with one…

"Well, I've thought about this for quite some time," Sandaime continued, interrupting Naruto's thoughts, "and I think it might work…you both like Gaara, do you not?"

"Sure!" Naruto said with a grin. "He's awesome!"

"Gaara-san is very nice," Hinata added, nodding.

"Well, than…this may work out."

Iruka raised an eyebrow. "What are you concocting, Hokage-sama?"

Sandaime chuckled. "Well, as I've said before…it's good for aspiring ninja to see the other hidden villages…so why don't we have Gaara come back to Konoha with us when we leave? I think it would help him gain a firmer grasp on the world around him."

Naruto's eyes widened. "You mean it!"

"Certainly. It would likely be a nice…vacation for him. If the people of his own village are treating him so badly…what say you two? Would you be willing to show him around, make sure he is comfortable if he does decide to take up on this offer?"

"Oh, heck yeah!" Naruto cried excitedly.

"S-Sure."

Sandaime smiled. "I'll talk to the Kazekage about it…you two do what you want for now…talk to Gaara about it, and see if he'd like to visit our village."

"You bet!"

Naruto leapt out of his seat and shot off out of the room, excitement flooding through him. Hinata followed, albeit at a much slower pace.

* * *

"So…_this _was the other half of your plan?" 

Sandaime raised an eyebrow. "I have no idea what you're talking about, Iruka…it was just an idea…"

Iruka smirked. "Uh-huh…sure. I'll admit that they seem to have befriended each other rather quickly…but surely this wasn't a 'spur-of-the-moment' idea that…popped into your head when Naruto said he liked him."

Sandaime chuckled. "No…that I will admit. I had figured on them bonding quickly….and it seems that they have. And yes, I had this little…visit planned out as well. If my suspicions are correct, they will end up fast friends….and comradeship is very important for a ninja."

Iruka frowned. "…The way you say 'visit' makes me wonder at your motives, Hokage-sama…you aren't planning on just having him stay in Konoha for a week or two, are you?"

"…Hm? Oh…well, if it turns out that Gaara likes life better in Konoha…I'm certainly not averse to….extending his stay. Besides…the Kazekage evidently doesn't want him…nor does anyone else here…"

Iruka smiled again. "You want to turn Gaara into one of us."

"…Perhaps…"

He laughed. "Well, well…you certainly are crafty, aren't you, Hokage-sama…?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about…I simply think this will be good for the two of them…better they bond now as…brothers, perhaps, rather than end up at arms against each other later…you know as well as I that if Gaara stays here, and is not killed, he will eventually be used as a weapon against us."

"True…very true…so this isn't only for Naruto and Gaara….this is a military tactic. You want to take their best potential soldier away from them…defang them, in a sense."

"I suppose, from a business point of view, you could say it that way…I am, however, more concerned about Gaara's mental health than the strength of our forces…I know our ninja well enough, and while Gaara's gift certainly is welcome, it is not my prime motive…I simply wish for him to find a place where he is welcome…a true home."

Iruka raised an eyebrow. "All well and good, but…while our civilians won't be _as _bad as the civilians here….they certainly won't accept an outsider so readily as you and I would…and if you're right, and I think you are, about Naruto and Gaara befriending each other…they already seem to be…would they not dislike him even more simply by association?"

"Oh, I'm sure…but unlike my…comrade, I will take steps to ensure such behavior is brought to a minimum…besides, anything would be better than what he is dealing with now. And having someone like Naruto will help him adapt, and also…Naruto will have someone to help him deal with his own troubles."

"Hmmm…it seems like a valid idea…are you sure it will work out? They've only known each other for a day, after all."

"I'll have him stay in Konoha on the pretense of a temporary visit…and if it _doesn't _work out I will simply make it so, and send him back…but I don't think that will happen. You saw them, did you not?"

Iruka nodded. "Yes. They seem to be getting along well."

"That's enough for now…I'm moving quickly because that is the only way I will get anything done. The Kazekage is a cunning man, and speed is the only weapon currently at my disposal."

"I see…well, in that case, by all means…Naruto was certainly excited by the idea. He's usually an amiable person, but…lately he's been walking on clouds."

"Then why stop at the clouds?" Sandaime chuckled.

Iruka grinned. "Indeed…"

Sandaime took out his pipe and lit it. As he took a long draw, her looked out the only window at the village. Iruka followed his gaze, marveling at the way his leader's mind worked…he was one surprise after another…had he had everything planned from the beginning? Had he wanted to bring Gaara to Konoha from the start? Iruka figured he had.

_Hmmm…if things work out the way Hokage-sama thinks…and they probably will…I think I've just found the third member of Naruto's squad…_

* * *

I've decided to break this story up into three parts. Part I will be this section, wherein Naruto and Gaara are nine. Part II will be the section that follows the majority of the manga/anime, wherein they are twelve, and Part III will be the section when they're sixteen(ish)...you know, when the characters' costumes change...so Part II will be the majority of the story. Just thought I'd mention it. I really don't know if anyone cares or not.

On another note...I feel bad for taking so long, but thank you all for the reviews. I never realized this story would be so popular; your feedback keeps me going. You're all amazing. So take a bow. I'm still here because of you.

Someone asked what anime series made me stray from Naruto for a while...it's called Negima. Not for everybody, but I find it hysterical. 26 episodes, as is normal for a lot of anime, I guess...wish there were more, but hey...26 is good. Anyway, just figured I'd answer here. Surely I won't get in trouble, since the review was anonymous...right?


	11. 1, 10: An Equal Trade

"He _what?"_

"Yes…" the Kazekage murmured thoughtfully. "The Hokage has proposed that Gaara leave with him…to 'visit' Konoha, he says. I know what he wants, though. He has seen the way Gaara is treated here, and I've made no mistake of the fact that I have no use for him…so he wishes to take him."

Yashamaru frowned thoughtfully. "…I see. But…we can't allow that, can we? He would be ten times more dangerous to us in another village! He would lose what loyalty he has to us!"

The Kazekage shrugged. "That is of little concern to me…Konoha is a weak village too wrapped in its own prosperity to garner even a halfway competent ninja…all they have is their numbers. True, those numbers have stayed my hand…but one more will do little to help them. As you yourself said…once our current students join the ranks, we will have the strength to overthrow them."

"So…you intend to give Gaara to them, Kazekage-sama?"

"Perhaps…you see, the only way Gaara would be of any danger to us would be if he were to harness the power of the Shukaku effectively…something he will never accomplish on his own. Leaf-nin have no idea what sort of strength the Priest of the Desert has…they will be unable to teach him. He will be weak."

"Yes…but if it's so easy to weaken him, why did we not rid ourselves of him this way from the beginning?"

"I had hoped to kill him here because we would be able to extract the Shukaku from him and make the attempt again immediately afterward…but the way things are escalating…I don't know if that will occur so simply. As I said, Konoha is a peaceful village…Gaara will, as the Hokage thinks, be more docile there. There is far less chance of the Shukaku gaining control of him there than here…if we do this, it will end up benefiting us far more than Konoha…when we launch our attack, we will be able to rid ourselves of him. For now…I'll let the Hokage take him and weaken him."

"So you will do this."

The Kazekage nodded. "However…I will not cede to the Hokage so easily…this may be a benefit, but…I am a businessman, after all. I do not give charity. If Konoha wants Gaara…they'll have to pay. And they'll have to pay handsomely…"

Yashamaru chuckled. "Is that right…? Well, well, Kazekage-sama…and here I thought you were being generous…"

"Me? Hardly, Yashamaru…I am intelligent. Perhaps the Hokage thinks he's pulled a fast one on me…but he has no idea just who he is dealing with…I did not become Kazekage by being generous."

"So what are you going to ask for in return for him?"

The Kazekage smirked evilly. "The Hokage's students are mostly fools…especially the Kyuubi's vessel…quite a shame; Uzumaki Naruto is a bumbling fool, and no amount of conditioning will make him useful, regardless of the demon within him…he is far too loyal to Konoha, and no doubt the Hokage would fight tooth and nail to keep him…but there _is_ one child that has great potential…potential I intend to unlock…Konoha wants one of mine? Fine…I will take one of theirs."

"…A sound plan, Kazekage-sama. Sound, indeed. Not only will we gain a soldier…but we will finally have a solid chance of destroying our greatest threat…ingenious, Kazekage-sama, simply ingenious."

"Of course…dismissed, Yashamaru."

* * *

It was the day they would be heading back home, and this time Naruto was even more excited to begin the journey than when he'd begun the first. Gaara stood beside him, clearly excited himself, albeit to a lesser degree than Naruto. The red-haired, green-eyed boy stared out toward the outskirts of his village, no doubt wondering what life was like outside the walls of his prison.

He shifted his shoulders, settling the gourd on his back. Yashamaru had given it to him the day before, and Gaara was still getting used to holding it. It was heavy, filled as it was with chakra-imbued sand, and Gaara's frame was thin.

Naruto watched his friend as he waited impatiently for the Kazekage to show up. The man had said he'd had one last order of business to conduct with Sandaime before he left, and so far he hadn't shown up. Naruto was anxious to get home in order to show Gaara around, and even though he'd only been waiting for fifteen minutes or so, it felt like an eternity.

"What is your village like, Naruto?" Gaara murmured in his soft, contemplative voice.

"Eh?" Naruto turned to face Gaara and raised an eyebrow. "What's it like? Uh…well…it's green. Real green. Trees everyplace, ya know? And, uh…lots of buildings, like here…but, uh, ya know…a little more different looking."

"What about…the people?"

"Uh…" Naruto fidgeted as he tried to come up with a good answer. "Um…well…you know…uh…jeez. Well, they aren't as mean as the people here, I'll tell you that much. They're nicer. Polite. But, uh…some of 'em are the same as here, too. But, but…you'll like it, Gaara, trust me."

Gaara seemed skeptical, but he smiled that slight smile he had and nodded. "Okay. I will."

Naruto turned toward the village again, and grinned when he saw Yashamaru and the Kazekage approaching. Finally!

* * *

Yashamaru honestly wasn't sure why he'd given Gaara the gourd…it was for defensive purposes, after all, and while he put up a pretense of caring for his nephew, he honestly couldn't care less…so why?

He didn't know. It had just happened. After Gaara had agreed to visit Konoha, he'd just…given it to him.

"Since you're visiting the forests, sand won't be plentiful and you won't be able to use your gift," he had said. "This gourd is a special artifact; it calls back whatever sand is removed from it, so that it always stays full."

Gaara had simply nodded, thanked him, and had adjusted it so that it lay easy on his back. It was large, nearly as tall as he was, but he managed. The gourd was surprisingly light considering that it was filled to the brim with sand, and while it was likely still heavy for the boy, it wouldn't be after he had grown a bit.

_It was never meant to go to him_, Yashamaru thought now as he approached the group of leaf-nin and students at his master's side. _He was supposed to die before ever seeing it…why would I give it to him now? He didn't know about it, so he wouldn't know I would have been hiding something…why did I give it to him?_

Yashamaru watched the child eye his father with detached disinterest. He hated Gaara; the beast had stolen his beloved sister from him. He had offered to assassinate him personally! He burned with the thirst for vengeance whenever he looked upon him!

He _hated _Sabaku no Gaara with every fiber of his being…

…Didn't he?

* * *

"So…Hokage. Time to return home, is it?"

Sandaime raised an eyebrow. "Yes…what was this business you wanted to speak with me about? We're behind schedule, and my people wish to return home."

The Kazekage nodded, but there was no denying that he really didn't care. "Yes, yes…we will do this quickly enough…you see, I have a proposition for you. My son has agreed to visit Konoha…and I have every intention of letting him do so…if, that is, you do one thing for me."

Sandaime frowned. "…Is that right…? Well, then…"

The Kazekage nodded again as he crossed his arms. "You see, since my son will likely be learning from his experiences there…being alone with an entirely new community, you understand…I have every intention of going through with this, you see, but…if you would, allow one of your students to stay here…for the same experience."

The tall, lanky man's voice was light enough, but it was too fake to fool anyone. Even Naruto, who hardly ever paid attention to such things, understood that the Kazekage wasn't being sincere.

Sandaime frowned. "…I see. And…did you have anyone in mind…?"

"Well, as you know…I only allow the most highly skilled ninja into my ranks…so it would stand to reason that I would instruct only the most promising students…only fair that, since you are taking this village's prodigy, that I take yours: the successor to your prestigious Uchiha clan, young Sasuke there."

Naruto turned to look at the stone-faced youth as he stepped away from the others and stood at Sandaime's side. There was no telling what was going through his mind; he was like a wall. His black eyes studied the Kazekage with no emotion at all.

Sandaime's frown deepened. "…I see," he repeated. "Sasuke? Are you willing to do this? Would you mind staying in this village for a while?"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at his leader. "First off, it isn't 'a while.' Let's drop the joke, huh? This is a permanent change. If I stay here, it's for good. The same with Gaara."

Sandaime's frown left his face in surprise.

The Kazekage smirked slightly. "Is that what you think…?"

Sandaime turned his eyes back to the Kazekage. "Fine. Let us cease this pretense, shall we? They deserve that much, at least."

A shrug. "Fine by me."

"Me, too," Sasuke said, without giving Sandaime a chance to reply.

All eyes turned to the young Uchiha, thunderstruck by his immediate reply. Naruto didn't know Sasuke all that well…at all, actually, so the fact that he was willing to stay in the Sand's village didn't bother him much. But looking at the girls from his class, he saw that most of them were absolutely devastated.

They were Sasuke's admirers.

"…Are you sure about this, Sasuke?" Sandaime asked.

Sasuke crossed his arms. "Yes. Let's face facts, here, old man…there is nothing in Konoha for me…I stand to gain nothing by staying there. Here…I have a chance."

"How do you figure?"

"Being here a week has shown me that the people here _are _stronger than we are…I want that strength. This is my chance to gain it, and I will take it."

Naruto was struck by how old Sasuke sounded…he'd always known the black-eyed, black-haired boy to be mature beyond his years, but now…none of those gathered thought of him as a nine-year-old academy student, not even the Kazekage.

He was a soldier.

The Kazekage looked down at the boy. "You understand your training regimen will be much more strenuous under my command."

"Good," Sasuke replied.

Naruto thought he understood. Sasuke's entire clan had been annihilated just recently…the whole family, gone. His mother, father, aunts, uncles, cousins…everyone. He'd heard whispers that the murderer had been Sasuke's own brother, but no one would say for certain. Naruto wondered if, after having been subjected to such betrayal,he would have much of a desire to remain loyal to Konoha, either.

Naruto had been alone from the start. Sasuke had grown up normally…it had to have been a crippling blow. And here everyone saw the result of that blow.

Sasuke would become a sand-nin.

Naruto glanced at Gaara…and a second realization hit him.

Gaara would become a leaf-nin.

The idea filled him with excitement, but he kept it inside. This was a serious event, after all…one of his colleagues, familiar or not, had just committed himself to an entirely different home. Such a thing was not done easily…and yet Sasuke had done it immediately.

"…If this is your decision, Sasuke," Sandaime said, "I have no place in stopping you…very well. If you are certain, absolutely certain, that you wish to take this course of action, you have my permission."

Sasuke, in a strange gesture, bowed slightly. "Thank you, Hokage-sama."

The Kazekage turned to Gaara, almost as if on an afterthought. "Gaara…are you willing to commit yourself to the Hidden Leaf?"

Gaara's response, like Sasuke's, was immediate. "Yes, Father."

A nod, and that was it. "It is done, Hokage."

Sandaime sighed. "Very well, Kazekage…bargain struck."

They shook hands.

"There will be various records to be exchanged…I will send them to you shortly."

Sandaime nodded. "Fine. But…we must be going."

The Kazekage nodded. "Of course."

As Sandaime turned, and with him everyone else, Naruto thought he saw Sasuke give him a solemn glance. And although he wasn't entirely sure, he thought he heard him whisper something.

Something like, "I hope you'll be happy now…"

Glancing beside him at Gaara's smiling face, Naruto had a feeling he would be.

* * *

"I can't believe it was done so quickly…"

"They did agree to the arrangement on extremely short notice…"

Sandaime raised an eyebrow at Iruka and Kakashi. "Are you honestly surprised? Gaara was reviled…two steps away from assassination. And Sasuke…well, he's right. He has nothing tying him to our village anymore. This arrangement will work well for both of them."

Iruka nodded. "Sure."

Kakashi, though, didn't agree. "Perhaps for Sabaku no Gaara, this will be good…but for Sasuke…no. He will not find fulfillment there. Not under the Kazekage's rule. His heart is fueled with the fire of vengeance…and he will carry it out, I am sure…but he will never be happy…"

"I had never really expected him to be, after what happened," Sandaime said. "His entire life revolved around his clan…and he idolized his brother. Itachi's betrayal all but broke his spirit…I tried to help him, but he cannot be reached, even at his young age. He walks his own path."

Kakashi sighed, adjusting his headband. "A shame…Sasuke had promise."

"So does Gaara," Sandaime said. "Do not forget that this worked both ways. We have a new student now. We must focus on him. No doubt he will catch no end of grief from the young women of his class for this…I doubt he needs us adding to it."

Iruka chuckled. "Yes…that will certainly be an issue…but I think Naruto will help him through it. And let's not forget Hinata. She has taken a liking to both of them."

Sandaime rubbed his chin. "Your evaluation of your students will be required soon…from the sound of it, you've already gotten an idea of who should be teamed with Naruto."

Iruka chuckled again. "…It bodes well. We'll see what happens when we get back home."

"Hmmm…a member of the Hyuuga clan and two Jinchuuriki…" Kakashi murmured thoughtfully. "…Quite the squad, if it turns out. Hinata may not be powerful now…but the strength in her blood cannot be denied…"

"She has very precise chakra control already, and her body is in great physical condition…she's near the top of the class. Very intelligent, as well…she's gifted, she just doesn't realize it. I think that would have to do with her father…"

Sandaime nodded. "Doubtlessly…Hiashi is harsh…very harsh. But, it seems she has found a friend in both Naruto and Gaara…that bodes well for her. Your evaluation, Iruka, premature as it may be, seems a very solid one."

Iruka grinned. "Well, let's face it…Hinata and Gaara are about the only people who can stand his antics in the first place…and if that remains true by the time they become genin, we can count endurance among their strengths, too."

"From what I could gather," Kakashi said, "Gaara's training in the Sand was all long-distance offensive. He was trained to use the Shukaku's control over sand for everything. He is…hopelessly reliant on it."

Sandaime raised an eyebrow. "Did some research of your own, did you, Kakashi?"

A chuckle. "I did. Iruka, I would suggest you train him rigorously in taijutsu…he needs it. He's never been taught anything but ninjutsu, and his body is too frail for a ninja. No doubt the Sand figured it a waste of time since the Shukaku defends his body without fail every time he is at risk of injury…but we cannot do that. If he is to be of the Leaf, he will need a backup plan. Not everyone he faces will be stopped by sand…"

Sandaime nodded. "I gathered that much, myself…the Sand was far too confident in the Shukaku's abilities for my tastes…they taught him to rely on it, rather than himself. Sand is not a weapon, nor is a katana or shuriken…they are but tools…the ninja himself is the weapon, and we must forge him as such."

Iruka nodded. "Fine. Good. Naruto needs some heavy taijutsu training, too…I can pair them up now. See if things work out from that. But you know…I'm not exactly a master in hand-to-hand, myself…"

"Speak to Gai," Kakashi said, sounding somewhat reluctant. "You could find no better specialist than him…he could tell you what to do. But…don't let him train them himself…he'll fill their heads with nonsense about 'the springtime of youth.'"

Iruka laughed. "I've heard him talk about that…okay. Thanks, Kakashi. I'll do that."

"Good…but you know…I must wonder…" Kakashi put his hands into his pockets, glancing at Naruto and Gaara. "…Who will end up their instructor…?"

Focused on the two boys, the jounin didn't notice the slight smile rising on Sandaime's lips. Iruka did, however, and he fought the urge to laugh again. Shaking his head, he marveled once again at his leader's conniving mind…

_Poor Kakashi…I think you're in for some _very _interesting missions in a few years…_

* * *

_A few notes...partly to explain myself._

_Sasuke did, indeed, say that to Naruto as they left. If you remember, Sasuke noticed Naruto when he was young...he just never did anything. In my opinion, he empathized with him at the very least, and probably cared about him even before knowing him. So, besides wanting more power, Sasuke agreed to the arrangement because he knew Naruto would be happy about it...at least one of them will be happy. Because, honestly, I think Sasuke knew his life would never be exactly...filled with sunshine, even at the beginning._

_Second, if Sandaime, Iruka, and Kakashi seem a bit uninterested in the fact that Sasuke is gone, it's because they're soldiers. They know that, at any given moment, a comrade may and probably will die. This one, though, left. Same idea. They're hardened to it, so they wouldn't dwell on it. Well...okay, so Kakashi may have some issues, but he never shares them._

_Lastly, for those of you wondering when Part II will begin...next chapter. Here marks the end of Part I. Next chapter will be, in terms of a timeline, equal to episode/chapter 1 of the anime/manga. For anyone wondering if I will deal with any of the filler arcs in the anime...maybe. If any of them seem relevant, I'll add them in...if not, I'll go by the manga._

_And yes...Sasuke will be back. And it won't be pretty._


	12. 2, 1: The Approaching Exam

No Longer Alone

PART II:  
Proving One's Worth

* * *

"Battered, shaken, godforsaken,  
All of your abuse we've taken.  
On our own; we're left alone,  
Against the heartlessness you've shown.

We stand in rain amidst our pain,  
Each step an agonizing strain.  
But through the years we face our fears,  
And blink away our unshed tears.

If you all knew what we've been through,  
You would understand it, too.  
We can't succumb; we must be numb,  
And ignore the beast we're running from.

We set our sight upon the light,  
Shining through our endless night.  
Our one ambition; our one mission,  
To see that glorious transition.

To finally be fully free,  
To end our blindness and to see,  
That battlefield where we shall wield  
Our gold-emblazoned sword and shield.

We shall be that triumphant three,  
To show you what it is to see.  
Our home, our land, you'll understand,  
That we have lent a helping hand.

We love you all; we shall stand tall,  
And if you need it we shall fall.  
Upon the field where we shall wield  
Our gold-emblazoned sword and shield.

We'll risk it all; just send the call,  
And in the end we shall stand tall,  
We three who've known a heart of stone.  
No longer are we left alone.

We three have sown a bond of stone.  
No longer are we left alone."

**"No Longer Alone"**

* * *

"Sarutobi-sama." 

Sandaime glanced up. It was still odd to hear himself addressed in such a manner; he had been hearing "Sandaime" and "Hokage-sama" for so long that he'd nearly forgotten his given name, and to hear it used after to many years was extremely strange.

But then, Gaara had been strange from the beginning.

"Ah, yes…Gaara. Hello, my boy. You wanted to see me about something?"

The red-haired youth nodded as he sat down opposite his leader's desk. "Yes. Now…you know that Naruto has failed his past two graduation exams…he has one more chance to pass before he's held back and ends up with another group of students."

Sandaime nodded. "Of course…it seems, even with you and Hinata helping him, he just doesn't have enough…dedication for academia. You're concerned, I take it."

"Of course I'm concerned. Hinata and I both passed first time, so we don't need to take the exam again…we've been helping Naruto study instead. I had been certain he would pass last time, but he didn't. If it turns out he fails again, we'll have been genin a year before his next _attempt_…but, actually, that is not my primary concern at the moment."

"Oh?" the elderly ninja asked. "Then…enlighten me, Gaara. What is?"

Gaara sighed. "…I stayed late after class to help Naruto again yesterday…and as I was going home, I heard some of the other instructors talking amongst themselves…I heard Naruto's name, so I stopped to listen. They…evidently thought they were alone. I'm concerned because….the way they were talking about him was troubling. Two of their most memorable remarks were 'monster' and 'damned fox.' They were…worried about Naruto becoming a ninja because they thought he would…'turn on the village and ravage it, just like he did twelve years ago.' Now…correct me if I am wrong, but Naruto was _born _twelve years ago…no infant can 'ravage' much of anything, unless you count his mother's nerves…in any case, this concerns me.

"I realize the marks on Naruto's face may bear some resemblance to whiskers…but that is hardly enough of a distinction to call him a 'damned fox.' From this…and from the ravage comment…I've come to a conclusion. A very…intriguing conclusion.

"I've known about the Shukaku for years now. I know what it is, and I know what it has done in the past…and in my studies, I've come to know the Nine rather well…and I remember reading records of the Kyuubi, the nine-tailed fox, attacking the village…ravaging it, perhaps…twelve years ago.

"…The vessel used to seal the fox, the living sacrifice required to contain its power…was Naruto. Wasn't it?"

There was a long silence.

Gaara's genius never failed to surprise Sandaime, and he honestly had expected the boy to figure it out. His drawn-out sigh was enough of an answer to satisfy Gaara. "…Brilliant as ever, Gaara."

"Please, Sarutobi-sama. It wasn't all that hard. I've had my suspicions for some time now…the year of the attack, the marks on his face that I mentioned, the overwhelming hatred of just about anyone old enough to remember the attack…when I heard 'damned fox,' it all but confirmed it."

Sandaime sighed again. "Yes…well, I'll have to…have a word with the instructors you overheard….give me their names before the end of the day. Beside that, though…yes. Naruto was the child my successor used to seal the Kyuubi. He was the only one born soon enough for the technique to work."

Gaara nodded. "As I thought…I thank you, Sarutobi-sama, for being honest with me. Naruto is my friend, and I never have appreciated the way the village treats him…I still don't, but at least now I understand it."

"I've made it a violation of law to speak of the Kyuubi or Naruto's involvement with it…if Naruto had been the one to hear this instead of you, it would have been terrible for him. Still…it doesn't stop them from hating him. He thinks it's because he is an orphan…and somehow I've managed to keep him thinking that over the years."

"He'll find out eventually," Gaara said with a frown. "You know that, don't you?"

"Yes, I know…but I don't want it to be any time soon…anyway, keep this a secret, would you? The law applies to everyone, and that includes you."

Gaara nodded as he stood. "Fine. Thank you again…now, I should leave. By this point, Naruto's likely gotten bored with Iruka-sensei and has--"

"Sandaime!"

"Hokage-sama!"

Sandaime stood up. "What? What is it?"

Two chuunin rushed into the room and bowed hurriedly to Sandaime while catching their breath. One looked up and shouted, "Naruto's at it again!"

"The monument, Hokage-sama! He's defaced the Hokage Monument with graffiti!"

Gaara rolled his eyes with a sigh. "…As I was saying, he's probably gotten bored with Iruka-sensei and has…found something else to do."

Sandaime lowered his head. "What to do with that boy…? Ugh…you two, tell Iruka where he is. Gaara…see if you can't…apprehend him before he does permanent damage."

* * *

"Graffiti…what next, Naruto? What next? Raw eggs?" 

Gaara shook his head for the fifteenth time in fifteen minutes as he strolled the streets toward the Hokage Monument, a series of busts carved into a huge cliff face of the four leaders of Konoha on the southern border of the village, scanning his surroundings for any sign of the orange-clad, blonde-haired prankster.

Predictions had been right; Gaara and Naruto had become fast friends since the moment they'd set foot in Konoha together. They'd been inseparable. Wherever one went, the other was almost certain to follow. In the beginning, Gaara had even assisted in Naruto's vandalizing.

But now, at twelve years old and mere days from becoming a genin, Gaara had given up on such practices. They were a waste of time and energy, and while he never said so to Naruto's face, he foundhimself growing tired of Naruto's continuation of them.

"…Keep this up much longer and I'll bury you head-first in your backyard," Gaara muttered.

The idea was far more tantalizing than Gaara would have admitted.

* * *

He was torn between being impressed that he was so surefooted on the huge faces on the cliff and being exasperated that he had defaced the four Hokages with buckets of paint. 

Green, blue, purple, yellow, in swirls and symbols and various other drawings (he had even signed his name on Sandaime's forehead), covered the masterfully-carved portraits.

Iruka groaned. He should have expected this…

"…Have you considered tying him to his chair?"

Jumping slightly in surprise, Iruka looked down to see Gaara standing beside him.

_Kami-sama, that kid's quiet! _he thought, annoyed.

At only twelve years old, Sabaku no Gaara was the most remarkable up-sand-coming ninja the village had seen since the infamous Uchiha Itachi, who had graduated from the academy at seven. Gaara was quick, silent, smart, and altogether deadly. A force to be reckoned with even at his young age. Iruka had found himself wondering on several occasions whether he had any place instructing this boy.

"I think if I did that," Iruka said with a chuckle, "he'd just use the chair to cause more damage."

He'd meant it as a joke, but the way Gaara had made his suggestion, in that quiet, contemplative, serious voice of his, it was probable that he thought it a legitimate idea.

"You're probably right," Gaara replied, making it clear that he hadn't considered Iruka's joke a joke at all, further suggesting that he had been serious from the beginning.

"Well…let's go get him."

Gaara nodded.

* * *

It hadn't taken much to get Naruto back into the classroom. Once Gaara had threatened to encase his friend in sand and drag him back by his hair, the blonde had stopped struggling immediately and was silent all the way back to the academy. 

Once there, though, it was clear Naruto had no intention of cooperating.

"Listen to me, Naruto!" Iruka snapped. "You've failed the last two graduation exams! You only have one chance left!"

"I ain't the only one with one chance left," Naruto muttered.

"Yes, but at least _they _came to class! This is _no _time for you to be goofing off, pulling your little pranks!"

"Pfft…whatever."

Iruka's eyebrow twitched, and he turned a glare on the other students. "All right! Line up! We're doing a review on _henge no jutsu! _Everyone up! Even those who already passed last week!"

"WHAT!" the entire class demanded in dismay.

"_Now!" _Iruka demanded.

* * *

"This is all _your _fault, Naruto!" Yamanaka Ino snarled. 

"Tch…this is stupid…troublesome…" Nara Shikamaru (who else?) mumbled.

Gaara, who was standing in front of Naruto, scowled. "…Are you so unsure of your ability that you balk at an extra test? Was your performance last week a simple fluke? Perhaps you aren't prepared to be a genin…"

"Oh, who asked you, _Gaara!"_ Ino growled, whirling to face him.

Naruto chuckled.

Gaara nodded, his face expressionless now. Just because he was exasperated didn't mean he was going to hang his best friend out to dry. He had more honor in him than that.

"Okay! No more talking!" Iruka snarled. "Now…all you have to do is transform yourselves into me, one at a time. Same test as last week, so it shouldn't be difficult…for most of you. Haruno Sakura, you're up first."

The pink-haired girl nodded and stepped forward, making the seal of the ram as she did. "Okay…here goes…_henge!"_

A puff of smoke, and Sakura had become a carbon copy of her instructor.

When he'd first learned it, Gaara had been surprised how easy the technique was to perform, how little energy it took, and how effective it was. Even though Sakura was a girl, and years younger than Iruka, she had pulled it off perfectly.

Iruka nodded and marked a notepad. "Good. Next! Sabaku no Gaara."

Gaara did the same as Sakura did, albeit silently.

Most students found it easier to focus their chakra by shouting the name of whatever technique they were attempting, and it had gotten to a point where they thought it was required for the technique to work.

Gaara had done the same thing until, one day, he'd forgotten. When he discovered it didn't matter if he spoke the name or not, he stopped. Getting into the habit of shouting every time he performed a technique would make it harder to be silent when he needed to, and silence was one of a ninja's most important weapons.

And so, he was silent.

Iruka nodded again and made another mark. "Good, Gaara. Next! Uzumaki Naruto!"

Gaara was about to walk back to his seat until he caught sight of the mischievous look on Naruto's face. Stopping, he turned.

_Oh, no, _he thought, _he's planning something._

The older folk of the village had apparently hoped, at the beginning, that Gaara's calm demeanor would rub off on Naruto. They hypothesized that having a friend, especially one such as Gaara, would make him less inclined to cause trouble.

They'd been wrong.

Gaara knew it was just part of Naruto's personality. He made jokes and pulled pranks more to make himself laugh than the people around him…it wasn't so much to attract attention, as most people figured, as it was to relieve boredom. Naruto was an excitable, energetic person, after all. Calm just didn't become him.

Gaara _had _calmed Naruto down over the three years they'd lived together in Konoha….sort of. But not nearly enough to make him stop. He was now calm enough to think _through _his ideas, which actually made things _worse _for the townspeople. He had become increasingly inventive and ambitious over the years…and it had escalated into defacing the Hokage Monument…and whatever he currently had planned.

Glancing to the side, Gaara saw Hyuuga Hinata standing beside him. She felt his gaze on her and looked over. She smiled her small, quaint, shy smile. "Hello, Gaara-kun," she said in a whisper.

Gaara nodded his own greeting.

They both turned their attention back to Naruto, who was adjusting his goggles (Gaara had long wondered why Naruto wore them; he never used them properly, he just kept them on his forehead….they kept his hair out of his eyes, but any bandana could have done that), taking deep breaths, cracking his knuckles…wasting time, it seemed.

Actually, Gaara figured, he was just making sure he had an attentive audience. This one, evidently, he was proud of. He wanted his classmates to see it.

"Just do it already!" Iruka growled in irritation after a full minute.

"Okay, okay! Jeez!" Naruto snapped, and made the seal of the ram. "Let's do this…_henge!"_

There was a puff of smoke, which signified that he'd done it….but Gaara immediately noticed something amiss. The form of the body silhouetted in the smoke was most definitely _not _Iruka's…and as it cleared…

The nude woman Naruto had become winked and blew a kiss at his instructor. Iruka gaped, then blood shot out of his nose and his legs gave out, causing him to fall backward into his desk.

Naruto began to howl with laughter and lost control of the transformation. "Ha! Gotcha! I call that one the seduction technique!"

Gaara swiped a hand over his face. Only Naruto…how long had he spent perfecting that move? Why could he not apply himself so studiously to _other _tasks? He groaned and shook his head.

"You _idiot!_" Iruka shouted, shooting back to his feet, his face red in anger and, probably, embarrassment. "Don't waste time inventing such a stupid technique!"

Gaara wasn't so sure he would call the move _stupid_…it _could _have its uses. Although he was certain Naruto hadn't made it up for spying or infiltration, wherein it could be beneficial…he'd probably invented it simply to shock Iruka.

To his credit, he'd succeeded.

Hinata, Gaara noted, was blushing furiously. A smirk found its way onto his usually passive face. Of course…Naruto had certainly done his homework; the figure had been spot-on accurate, and as such, for someone like Hinata, born into a high-bred family such as the Hyuuga Clan, was likely to be far too "vulgar" and "tasteless" to be something she'd seen before…it was probably especially embarrassing in conjunction with the boy she liked.

Now Gaara knew why Naruto had wanted to borrow his book on human anatomy.

* * *

Iruka was perched on the top of Shodaime's head, watching Naruto with a scowl on his face as the blonde cleaned off the paint with a folded washcloth. Every once in a while he glanced over at Gaara, who was assisting his friend even though Iruka had forbidden it. Sometimes, Iruka knew, it was impossible to get the red-haired boy to listen to orders…in that, he was similar to Naruto. 

"You're not leaving until every last drop is cleaned off!" Iruka reminded Naruto.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever!" Naruto muttered, rubbing at a particularly stubborn patch of green. "Ain't like I got anything _better _to do!"

Iruka frowned, scratching at the scar cutting across his nose. "…Naruto."

The blonde glared up at his instructor, clearly annoyed. "What _now?"_

"…Well…after you're done here…how about…we go out and get some ramen? You know, the good stuff, down at Ichiraku."

As expected, Naruto's blue eyes lit up. "For real!" he shouted, a wide grin spreading on his lips. "_Awesome! _Talk about inspiration!"

Iruka sighed.

Sometimes…he was too soft.

Judging by the way Gaara was looking at him…_he _knew it, too.

* * *

Naruto slurped up his ramen like he hadn't eaten in days. Gaara, of course, was far more neat about it, making no sound as he ate his dinner. He seemed thoughtful, as he always did, and Iruka wondered, not for the first time, just what was going through the boy's mind. 

"…Why would you do such a thing, Naruto?" he asked after a long silence. "You…do know who the Hokage _are_, don'tyou?"

"Sure I do!" Naruto said, tilting his bowl and drinking the remaining broth. Setting it down, he belched and wiped his mouth with a sleeve. "Basically, people who get to be Hokage are the best ninja in the village." he looked up, thinking. "…The fourth one, I think, is a hero…he saved the village from a monster fox."

Gaara glanced at the blonde when he said this, and something told Iruka that he knew something. Something forbidden.

He, like Sandaime, wasn't much surprised.

"Well, then?" Iruka said, putting that bit of information into the back of his mind for later consideration. "Why would you deface the monument, then? Don't you know how disrespectful that is?"

"I'll tell you why," Naruto said. "I did it 'cuz someday, _I'm_ gonna be Hokage, and I'm gonna be _better_ 'n any of the guys up on that cliff! Then, _everyone's _gonna look up to me! They're all gonna see me and say, 'He's the greatest ninja ever!' Everyone's gonna acknowledge me!"

Iruka slurped up a noodle that had been hanging out of his mouth. He never got over how impassioned Naruto sounded whenever he talked about his ambition to be Hokage…it made Iruka think that, maybe…he actually _could_. It was a long shot, but it _was _possible…maybe.

"By the way, Sensei," Naruto said, and the smile on his face made Iruka apprehensive. It was…friendly, and that usually meant he was up to something."I've got a favor to ask."

"What?" Iruka asked, raising an eyebrow. "You want another bowl?"

"No," Naruto said, and even Gaara seemed surprised at this. "Could I…um…put on your _hitai-ate? _Pleeeeeease? Just for a minute!"

"This?" Iruka said, tapping the metal strip on his headband. "No, no…this signifies that you're an official ninja, that you're an adult. It's an important symbol. You'll have a chance to get one of your own tomorrow."

Narutopouted. "Meanie!"

Iruka chuckled. "Is _that _why you took your goggles off…?"

"I want seconds!"

"I…hey!" Iruka scowled. "You little…!"

Gaara smirked. "I thought so…"

Some things never changed, Iruka thought, annoyed, as he called for another bowl. Especially when it came to Naruto.

And that made him worry.

…Would Naruto be able to graduate?

He wasn't sure.

As Gaara's smirk faded, Iruka figured he was thinking the same thing.

"Tch…tomorrow, huh?" Naruto muttered as he waited for his ramen. "Fine! I'll show you guys! I'll get my _own _headband, I'll graduate! Just you watch!"

_Yeah…he'll graduate…he's too determined not to. He'll pull through it somehow._

But in the back of his mind…he still wondered.

And he still worried.

* * *

_Sorry for the lateness again...I've been working on another project lately. Still, as promised, Part II has begun. _

_The poem in the beginning, in case anyone's wondering, is my own work. I'm sure you all can guess who the "triumphant three" are, right?_

_Anyway, I hope this works for you. If it doesn't, I'm sorry. This is how I pictured it. So, yes...Naruto's still a prankster. He just isn't as fun otherwise. Gaara and Hinata will have a beneficial effect on him, to be certain...but that doesn't mean he'll do a total 180. If he did, I'd have no place putting this in the Naruto section._

_Just a note for those asking for longer chapters...I'm doing the best I can. The average chapter length in my other stories is about 1000 words...so considering this story averages about 2.5 times that...well, suffice it to say, I'm outdoing myself with this one as it is. Just have patience, I beg._


	13. 2, 2: Monster

_**Sorry about this. School buried me for a few weeks. I hope, however, that I may be forgiven in light of the fact that this chapter is more than double the length of the ones before it. I thought this section was an extremely important part of the manga/anime, so I wanted to do it justice.**_

* * *

He brought up an arm and blocked his opponent's strike, pushing forward and thrusting out his other arm for a blow of his own. His opponent jumped back and twirled in a kick aimed at his head. He ducked, dove forward, and threw his knee up.

His opponent leapt aside, whirling around again and sweeping one leg into his, knocking him to the ground.

As Gaara spat grit from his mouth, he was reminded that sometimes, always having sand break your fall was a bad thing.

Hinata held out a hand.

Gaara clasped her wrist and pulled himself up, wiping off his pants and shirt.

"Gaara-kun, why do you always wear black? You're sweating."

_"I'm _sweating? What of you, Hinata, wearing that jacket of yours? I'm sure that is hotter than what _I'm_ wearing."

Hinata frowned. "It's a light color. It's a lot cooler than it looks. I think you're just trying to _look cool, _walking around with long-sleeved black shirts and black pants all the time."

Gaara smirked. "A ninja's greatest ally is shadow, Hinata. Black compliments that."

"Not during the daytime."

"...Fine. I like black."

"So you _are_ just trying to look cool."

"I wouldn't waste my time worrying about that, and you know it. Anyway, it's getting about time for Naruto's exam. Where is he?"

Hinata looked over in the direction of the academy. "I think Naruto-kun is still in the classroom. Maybe he's studying?"

"I'm doubting that...but then, you never know. Sometimes the inclination _does_ hit him. I wonder how he'll hold up this time."

"He'll pass this time," Hinata said, but there wasn't as much confidence in her voice as she likely would have preferred. Gaara crossed his arms.

"...Yes. He'll pass. He's been training with us quite often since last time. He'll have no trouble."

_He_ didn't sound all that confident, either, and that bothered him. What if Naruto _didn't_ pass? Gaara didn't want to contemplate that, but he couldn't lie to himself...it _was_ possible. Most would say probable. Especially if...

"...If they require him to clone himself, I think he may have a bit of trouble...but he should be fine."

They both knew cloning was Naruto's weakest technique. He was terrible at it. He'd slowly honed his transforming abilities over the years, he knew a myriad of simple techniques, and he had excellent stamina and physical ability, but _bunshin no jutsu _was something he just couldn't grasp.

That was a problem because it was a very common technique tested in final examinations. It hadn't been used during the last exam, but there was a chance, a very good one, that it would be used this time.

"Do you think they'll use that technique?" Hinata asked. "They didn't last time...maybe they'll pick something else."

"Perhaps...but I wonder..."

"...Naruto-kun can do it."

Gaara smiled slightly. Of course...he was just being paranoid. "You're right, Hinata. He can do this...and he will."

But in the back of his mind...he wondered.

* * *

"I can do this...I _will."_

_Bunshin no jutsu? _Tch...making a clone of yourself? Easy! He could do this...no big deal at all! This final exam was a piece of cake!

He tried to make himself believe that, but as he walked into the room where Iruka and Mizuki, another of the academy's instructors, sat behind a desk awaiting his arrival, Naruto's legs shook.

If it had only been some _other_ move to show his ability to mold chakra...like _henge no jutsu, _maybe...he could have passed this final portion no problem. He'd had no trouble passing the tests on his ability to use shuriken and kunai efficiently, and his taijutsu skills were "certainly impressive," they said...but why did the last move have to be _cloning, _for the love of ramen!

Naruto sighed heavily. He had to do this...he couldn't let them down again...he couldn't go back to Hinata and Gaara with failure on his shoulders...not _this_ time...

"Whenever you're ready," Iruka said, waving a hand.

Naruto took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He had to be calm...that, both Hinata and Gaara had told him, was the key. If he wasn't calm, nothing else mattered...he would fail. He had to be calm...had to be calm...

He slowly made the sign of the ram, wondering why so many techniques used that sign, then berated himself for thinking such a stupid thing in the middle of a test. He had to _focus!_

This was it...everything his friends had taught him came down to this. Everything hinged on this. If he couldn't do it, he'd have to go back to school while they went on to become real ninja...he couldn't do that! Failure was _not_ an option!

_"Bunshin no jutsu!" _he cried, eyes tightly shut.

He waited for almost ten seconds before daring to open his eyes to look and see if he'd done it. He opened them slowly...slowly...

...His heart sank.

They were there...two clones...but...

Iruka sighed. "...They're useless. Completely useless. I'm sorry, Naruto, but this is unacceptable...I...cannot pass you."

The entire world seemed to crash down on him. Looking down at the pair of...things slumped on the floor, he wanted nothing more than to collapse...to become a clone of _them, _to just fall and let the world go on without him.

"...Iruka...that judgment is a bit harsh, don't you think?" Mizuki said, and Naruto's head snapped up, hope flaring in his eyes. "I mean...look at the reports. He's shown excellent stamina and physical ability. All three times he's taken this test, he's done well enough in those categories to pass. And...he _did_ clone himself...sure, they aren't up to snuff, but _I'm_ not exactly great at them, either. I think...I think we could pass him."

"...Mizuki, look at them. Everyone else managed at least three clones...Gaara managed seven...Naruto only made two, and look at them. They're crippled. Hopelessly crippled."

A strangled sob made its way through Naruto's lips. Closing his eyes again, he fell to his knees on the floor. No...no...he'd let them both down..._again..._

"I...I'm sorry, Naruto. But I cannot, in good conscience, let you into our ranks with a performance like this."

He didn't respond.

Somehow managing to rise to his feet, he shuffled out of the room, hoping that something heavy would fall on his head and kill him...

...Before he had to tell Hinata and Gaara that...that...

...That he was useless.

* * *

At the gathering outside the academy, the first thing Gaara _didn't_ see was Naruto. He scanned the group of students as he accepted his official _hitai-ate _headband, but Naruto wasn't there.

He lowered his eyes to the leaf etched into the metal band, gripping it so tightly that the edges bit into his skin through the cloth, and let out a shuddering breath.

"Damn it...damn it, damn it, _damn it!"_

"...Gaara-kun?"

Looking up, he saw Hinata's light gray eyes on him, saw the headband tied around her neck, and somehow...couldn't find any solace in it.

Sure...he had Hinata, and that was definitely a good thing, but somehow...without Naruto there as well...it was hollow.

"He's not here," he said simply, in a dead voice.

Hinata's eyes lowered, but they rose again almost immediately. "Do you think...maybe he's just late?"

There was so much hope in her voice, and he hated to dash it.

Gaara shook his head. "You know as well as I that he wouldn't be late for this...not for this. He's not here. He...he didn't graduate."

The young Hyuuga heiress frowned, looked down again, and nodded. He was right, of course. There was no way Naruto would be late in accepting his headband...it was a symbol of adulthood...a badge of honor...if anything, he would have been early.

A sudden shadow caused them both to look up.

"...I hope you aren't angry with me," Iruka said.

Gaara shook his head numbly. "No...if it was your judgment that he...wasn't ready...then I respect that..."

"It...isn't your fault, Iruka-sensei."

Iruka looked up at the sky and sighed. "I...can't help but think it _is..."_

_

* * *

_

"Hey...isn't he the kid who...?"

"Yeah, that's him. The only one who failed!"

Iruka looked up, eyes narrow. Great...here would come the insults, the jibes, the condescension...again. It never changed. Never any sympathy, never any courtesy...just disdain.

Gaara's eyes went slowly toward the pair, and he did _not_ look pleased. Iruka might have told the red-haired genin to hold off, to not let it bother him, but he really didn't care to. He crossed his arms and said nothing.

"Serves him right!"

Gaara flinched, anger flaring in his light green eyes. His jaw clenched.

"Can you imagine if they let someone like _him_ become a shinobi...?"

He clenched his fists and began moving toward the two girls.

"I mean, think about what he is--"

Gaara swept his arm to the side, and sand erupted from his gourd, slamming the pair, not gently, into a tree. All chitchat stopped, and all eyes turned to him.

He didn't bother looking at any of them.

He simply moved forward.

Naruto was sitting on a small swing, having arrived there minutes earlier, and was pushing himself with his toes. That was Gaara's destination. Even when the gathered villagers began whispering about _him, _he didn't look back.

Hinata glanced at Iruka, at the two girls who now lay slumped, unconscious, on the grass, and followed Gaara without a word.

"Hey! You're an instructor!" somebody snapped at Iruka, causing him to glance to the side. The man was lanky, dark-haired, with a face that bespoke no sense of decency. "You can't just let that punk attack anyone he feels like!"

"...I don't. I let him attack anyone who deserves it."

Turning without another word, Iruka walked away.

This day was turning out to be horrible.

* * *

Naruto looked up as they approached, but he couldn't find the strength to smile. He felt...drained.

"Naruto-kun..." Hinata said softly, sadly.

Gaara was silent, but there was sadness in his eyes. Naruto was somewhat surprised, though, that there wasn't disappointment there, too.

"Hey..." he said, gesturing lamely at the two of them. "Look at that...you guys got headbands...it's official now. You guys are ninja...real ninja. I'm...I'm happy for you."

And he was...of course he was. But he knew he didn't sound like it. He lowered his head again, taking a deep, shuddering breath, and began to push himself with his toes again. "That means you're adults now...you can make all kinds of important decisions now...all that good stuff..."

"Naruto..." Gaara whispered.

"Naruto-kun...are you...will you be okay?"

He shrugged. "Sure...I'll be...I'll be fine. No big deal. I mean...there's always next time, right? I can...I can make it. No sweat."

He choked back a sob. "No...no sweat..."

He stood up without looking at them. "I...I gotta...I gotta get home. I'll...see you guys later. Congratulations. Really."

And that was it.

* * *

Gaara lowered his head. "Damn..."

"I...I've never seen him so sad..."

Hinata was twisting the hem of her jacket in both fists, struggling to hold back tears. Gaara looked up, saw Iruka standing next to Sandaime in front of the academy. Frowning, he began walking toward them.

"I'll be back."

Hinata didn't follow him, but continued to watch Naruto's back as he shuffled toward his home.

The group of students and their parents were quick to get out of Gaara's way, but he didn't really notice. Stopping before his instructor and his leader, he crossed his arms.

"Iruka-sensei...Sarutobi-sama...I have a request, if possible."

Both raised an eyebrow in curiosity.

"Give him until the end of the day. He's been getting better at it; if I could just have a few more hours with him, I'm sure he could do it."

He wasn't sure at all, but it was the last chance he had. The new genin would be receiving their first assignments in three days' time; after that, there would be no going back.

Sandaime sighed. "Hmmm..."

"I...I'm not sure, Gaara..." Iruka said. "He...he did better this time than last time, sure...but..."

"Precisely. Think of it, Iruka-sensei. He knows now that he has to do it in order to become a ninja. With that knowledge, he's bound to apply himself."

"He should have known that we may have asked him to perform that particular technique before," Iruka said. "It's always been a good way to determine a ninja's ability to mold chakra properly; we've used it often."

Gaara sighed. "He doesn't think that way. He was perfecting his other techniques on the off-chance that you _wouldn't_ use it. It wasn't used last time, so he figured it wouldn't be used this time. Whether or not this was an intelligent decision on his part really isn't the issue. The point is, he _has_ improved. Just look at the spectacle he caused yesterday. You may not have _liked_ his transformation, but you can't deny that it was impressive."

Iruka frowned. "I...don't know, Gaara. This is...unprecedented."

"Just let me work with him. You can decide tomorrow. Just give him this chance...please."

Sandaime crossed his arms. "...I think that's reasonable. Simply reevaluate his execution of the technique tomorrow, and if he fails again, fine. But if he passes, he can join his fellows. He _was_ the only failing student this time around; I believe we can afford giving him this chance."

Iruka looked at Sandaime and his frown deepened. "Well...I suppose..." He sighed. Glancing back at Gaara, he waved a hand. "Fine. I really don't have an argument against it, anyway. Good luck."

Gaara smiled widely, an exceedingly rare occurrence. "Thank you, Iruka-sensei. Thank you, Sarutobi-sama."

He turned and went off to find Naruto.

If they were to be successful, they had no time to waste.

* * *

"Hey, Naruto!"

He turned. "Huh? Who...?"

Mizuki stood there, leaning against a fence. "You looked...really upset earlier today. I just wanted to check on you, see how you were doing."

Naruto lowered his gaze. "I'm...fine."

Mizuki sighed. "...I think...you should come with me. Come on, I want to...talk to you about something."

He didn't want to, but he shrugged and followed Mizuki anyway. It wasn't like he had anything else to do. Everyone else was busy, and he didn't want to face his friends right now...they hadn't been angry with him, but he knew they had to be disappointed...

...There was no way they couldn't be.

* * *

"I've known Iruka for a long time, now...he's not a bad guy. You know that, don't you? He's been your teacher for years. You know he's not out to get you."

Naruto scoffed. "Yeah, right...if he isn't, then how come he didn't pass me? Why was I the _only_ one who didn't pass? He...he could have..."

Mizuki smiled slightly. "Come on...don't be that way. He might have seemed harsh, but he's just trying to help you. He's just worried about you, you know."

"Whatever."

Mizuki sighed. "Look...he's just using his judgment. He doesn't think you would be able, at your current level, to survive as a ninja. He doesn't want you to end up dead. I've seen genin _die_ on their first mission because the instructors who passed them were too lenient. Iruka doesn't want that to happen."

Naruto blinked back tears. "But...but I'm better...I've gotten better...and I...I _really_ wanted to graduate...I could learn how to survive after graduating...I'd learn better how to _be_ a ninja if I _was_ a ninja."

Another sigh from Mizuki. "Well, then...I guess I'll have to..."

"Huh?"

"Look, Naruto...I know a secret...a really important secret. One that will help you."

"What!" Naruto exclaimed, standing up in a rush. "What is it! Will it let me graduate?"

Mizuki chuckled. "Yes, it will..._if, _that is...you're up to it."

"I'll do it! I'll do anything!"

A conspiratorial smirk rose on the silver-haired instructor's face. "...Good. That's good. See...there's this scroll...Sandaime-sama has it. And...it can help you graduate..."

* * *

Iruka was almost asleep, thinking forlornly about the day, when the heavy knock came at his door.

"Iruka-sensei!"

He sat up, looking over at the source of the voice, wondering with slight annoyance what could be so important. On the other hand, though, he was also grateful to have some sort of distraction...something to help him forget.

Opening the door, Iruka saw Mizuki standing on his porch, breathing harshly with wide, frightened eyes. "Mizuki...? What is it? What's happened?"

"Come quick!" Mizuki gasped, hands on his knees. "Hurry! It's...it's the scroll! The sealed scroll! It's been taken!"

"...What? Hokage-sama's scroll? The forbidden scroll?"

"Yes! Yes, hurry! It was Naruto! He took it earlier today!"

Iruka's eyes widened. "...Naruto? You're...serious?"

"Positive! Come on! Sandaime-sama has summoned us!"

"...Okay, okay. I'll be there."

* * *

Mizuki half-dragged him to the front of Sandaime's home, panting with the exertion as he hurriedly explained the situation. Somehow, Naruto had found out about the forbidden scroll held in the Hokage's office, a huge document containing jutsu that had long since been considered too dangerous. Shodaime had, because of this, sealed the scroll away.

How Naruto had managed to get his hands on it, Mizuki didn't know. Iruka had an idea, but one he didn't voice: the Kyuubi. He couldn't be sure, and he certainly wasn't going to mention it, but the idea remained in the back of his mind.

By the time they reached Sandaime, nearly every chuunin and jounin in the village had been assembled. Iruka frowned, daunted, by this...Sandaime must have decided this to be an extremely serious offense if he had summoned so many.

Which meant...

_Naruto... _he thought sadly.

It couldn't end well. The faces of his colleagues were contorted with anger, and it was clear that a slap on the wrist wouldn't do this time.

"We can't let this slide by as a prank!"

"It's too dangerous! If that scroll is brought outside the village...!"

"What happens if that brat tries to use it!"

"If _he_ unlocks the secrets of--"

_"Enough," _Sandaime commanded, and the expression on his face showed that he would hear no more. "...You need not inform _me_ of the seriousness of this situation. I'm not senile."

The faces of the speakers grew chagrined.

"The scroll was taken earlier in the day. You are all ordered to find Naruto and bring him to _me. _He may have committed a crime by taking the scroll, but he is still a citizen of this village, and regardless of what any of you think I will _not_ condone violence in this. He is to be brought back by any means _absolutely necessary, _and nothing more. _I_ will deal with him personally. Have I made myself perfectly clear?"

A series of nods.

"Good. Now go!"

Sandaime made a cutting gesture with his arm.

"Iruka," he said before the black-haired chuunin had a chance to leave. Iruka turned.

"Yes?"

"Find Gaara and Hinata. Take them with you. I don't know what Naruto plans to do with the scroll, but I think the only chance of his returning peacefully lies with them."

Iruka nodded. "Understood, Hokage-sama."

* * *

"Damn it! I can't believe he would do something this reckless!"

Iruka and Hinata had a hard time keeping up with Gaara as they searched for Naruto. When he had heard about what his friend had done, Gaara's face had gone as pale as a ghost and he had set off immediately at a breakneck pace.

"Gaara-kun!" Hinata called, panting harshly. "I can't find him if we're going so fast! Slow down!"

Gaara stopped, perched on a tree branch, and turned. Slowly, haltingly, he drew in several deep breaths as he strained to calm himself. Savage fear gleamed in his green eyes, and it was all too evident that he didn't want to slow down in the slightest.

Then he seemed to remember something. "...Hinata. Your Byakugan."

Hinata nodded as she regained her breath. "I...I can't maintain it if we're going that fast...please, Gaara-kun...let's slow down a bit."

"...Fine."

He waited impatiently for Hinata to activate her bloodline limit, hoping that she had enough practice with it to find him. He had faith in her, but he couldn't ignore the fact that she had just recently (mere months before) learned to harness the power of the Byakugan. It was part of the reason she couldn't use it while running. She had to focus a lot harder than would be considered normal.

Neji, Hinata's cousin, was only a year older than she and his ability was already strong enough to rival the elders of the Hyuuga clan...granted, Neji was considered a prodigy, but still...Hinata was far behind in her development.

It didn't help matters any that she had been startled awake in the middle of the night, either.

His doubts were misplaced.

"...I found him!" she cried triumphantly. "He's close, just this way!"

They shot off through the trees in the direction she'd pointed.

* * *

"I think...I've got it..." Naruto gasped, grinning with pride.

When he'd looked at the scroll and had seen that the first, and easiest, technique listed was _kage bunshin, _he had originally thought it would be a pain...but somehow, after only a few hours of training, he'd managed to create a clone...not one that looked drunk off his ass, but a real, honest-to-goodness recreation of himself.

Then he'd gone on to try creating more. As Iruka had said, Gaara had made seven clones of himself during _his_ exam, and Naruto was determined to at least match if not surpass that number. Mizuki had said he would need to prove he had _mastered _at least one technique from the scroll in order for Iruka to let him graduate, and that meant one clone wasn't enough.

Thus far, he had managed five. They hadn't lasted long, but there were five. _Five! _He felt giddy with excitement. It wouldn't be long before he would be able to prove to his teacher and his friends that he _wasn't_ a drop-out, he _wasn't_ a failure...he'd become a ninja.

"I will..." he whispered with fierce intensity. "And nothing's gonna stop me...not _this_ time..."

"Hey! Naruto!"

Turning around in surprise, Naruto saw his teacher, highly aggravated judging by the look on his face (and the tone of his voice), glaring down at him.

"Hey!" Naruto said with a laugh. _"There _you are!"

"There _I_ am?" Iruka demanded. "What the hell have _you_ been doing! Do you have _any_ idea what kind of a mess you've caused! The entire village is in an uproar!"

"Eh?" Naruto asked, raising an eyebrow. "What for?"

"What _for!" _Iruka snarled, then pointed at the scroll. "For _that, _you imbecile!"

"Huh? This? Why? I wasn't gonna _keep_ it or nothin'."

"Naruto, do you have any _clue_ what that _is?"_

"Sure. It's a scroll filled with advanced jutsu. And if I prove I can master one of them, I can graduate!"

Iruka's face went blank as he paced behind his student, staring at him as if he were daft. "Who...who told you that?"

Naruto whirled around to face him. "Mizuki-sensei! He said I could borrow this scroll from Old Man Hokage and graduate! He told me to grab the scroll and come here to practice!"

"...Mizuki?"

"Yeah!"

There was a long silence.

As Naruto was waiting impatiently for Iruka to reply, he sensed something. It...was a feeling he'd felt before. He was being watched. It was like when he was training with Gaara and Hinata...one of them would sneak up on the other two, trying to remain as silent as possible. It had become a sort of game, a competition between them...thus far, of course, Gaara had the lead.

This was _like_ that...but somehow...different.

Then, suddenly, he heard something, like a high-pitched whistle cutting through the air.

Iruka gasped, but before he managed to do anything, Naruto had flipped a kunai from the pouch on his belt into his hand. He whirled around and, just as he'd expected, saw a volley of shuriken, small and almost undetectable in the night, flying toward him.

Who knew that weird taijutsu training with the psycho with gigantic eyebrows would have actually come in handy...? The projectiles seemed to be almost _too_ slowly.

He erupted into movement.

There was the clash of metal against metal, and a shower of sparks...but none of them hit him.

Naruto grinned, taking a moment to feel proud of himself, before Iruka shouted,

"Who's out there!"

A dark, boisterous, familiar laugh echoed through the trees. "Well, well...looks like you're a little better than I thought, Naruto! Good job!"

Mizuki, crouched above them on a thick branch, chuckled as he stood up. "...I underestimated you, it seems. Well...no matter."

"Mizuki!" Iruka shouted, stepping up in front of Naruto. "What's your problem! Why did you lie to him!"

"...Hm? Why, Iruka, I have no _idea_ what you're talking about..."

"The _hell_ you don't!" Iruka whirled around. "Naruto, that scroll is forbidden! Shodaime-sama sealed it away and decreed it illegal!"

"...H-Huh? Illegal...but...but...Mizuki-sensei, you said..."

_"He's _the liar, Naruto!"

"Don't trust him! He just used you as a scapegoat to get the scroll for himself! Guard it with your life!"

Mizuki chuckled. "Naruto...even if you've read what's in there, it won't mean anything. _I _can show you what it means..."

Iruka clenched his fists. "Shut up, you idiot!"

_"Say_...Naruto..._I_ just _thought_ of something..."

The look on Mizuki's face was one of the cruelest amusement. The smirk on his face made Naruto's skin crawl.

_"Shut up!"_

"You..._do_ know what _really_ happened twelve years ago...after the demon fox attacked the village...don't you?"

Naruto was thoroughly confused. "W-Wha...? What do you...?"

"Since then..." Mizuki continued, in a voice that sent shivers down Naruto's spine, "the people have been bound by a very, _very_ strict law..."

"H-Huh? I don't...I don't remember any law...what--"

"You wouldn't. You see...the thing about this funny little law is that...everyone knows about it...except _you!"_

Naruto gasped. "H-Huh? Me...? What kind of law is that!"

"The kind of law...that states no one may tell you that _you_...are the nine-tailed demon fox. _You_ are the Kyuubi!"

Ice-cold shock ran through his body as he stiffened, completely paralyzed. How could that...? What did he...? It made no sense! He...he wasn't...wasn't...

"...W-What...?"

_"You _were the one who attacked our village twelve years ago! _You _were the one who killed our people! _You_ killed Iruka's parents and left him an orphan! He _hates_ you! They all _hate you!"_

"...N-N-No...that...that can't...it..."

"Don't you find it _odd_ that everyone despises you so much? Why you've always been an outcast? It's because you're a monster! Yondaime captured you and caused you to be reborn...in that body. It killed him. You killed our people! You killed our hero! You're a monster! A savage mon--"

_"Be silent!"_

Mizuki stiffened, caught off guard, and both he and Naruto turned.

Gaara stood in the clearing, arms crossed over his black shirt. His green eyes blazed with anger; his _hitai-ate _was tied around his upper right arm, gleaming in the moonlight. Brow furrowed, he glared at Mizuki with such white-hot intensity, such black hatred, that it by all means should have killed him.

"...You pompous, arrogant, empty-headed _fool!" _Gaara spat, his voice like the crack of a whip. "You're just like the rest of those idiots, spouting that nonsensical, derogatory _trash_ as if it were as indisputable as gravity! Naruto is no more responsible for the death of the Fourth or any of the others than _you_ are!"

Naruto stared in openmouthed shock...and awe.

He'd never seen his best friend in the grip of such rage...Gaara was always cool, calm, and collected...he _never_ lost control of his emotions. But now...he looked almost rabid. His eyes gleamed feverishly, teeth bared as though he were a wild animal.

Mizuki huffed dismissively. "So...coming to his defense...why am I not surprised? And what would _you_ know of _anything, _outsider! You're the same as _him! _Nothing but a monster!"

Gaara was silent for a long time. When he spoke again, his voice was dangerously low.

"...I _am_ the same as he...and _that_ is how I know you are a fool...if a person contracts a disease, he does not _become_ that disease...if an animal is locked in a cage...the cage does not _become _that animal...

"Naruto and I...we are carriers of the diseases you fear. We contain them. We are cages for the predators you hate. We confine them."

Naruto's eyes widened to saucers. "G-Gaara...what are you...?"

"The monster you claim to despise so much, Mizuki...is _within _Naruto...is _locked_ within him...they are not the same being. But then...I don't expect you to understand that, you being the prejudicial ignoramus that you are...let me simply state that...if you harm him...you will see just what the raccoon demon locked within _me_ is capable of. And you _won't_ like it..."

Mizuki stared incredulously at Gaara for a moment, then threw his head back and laughed.

"Oh-ho! Just a green, wet-behind-the-ears genin and you already think you can take _me_ down! Do you have any clue what you're up against!"

"...I'd ask _you_ that same question...Mizuki..."

Gaara walked slowly, purposefully, to stand beside Naruto. "...You hate Naruto for a reason that is tantamount to hating the _sky_ for a _sun_burn...you hate him because your village was attacked by a creature none but your leader could defeat...but you see...that's just it. You care about your home, in your own twisted way. You found acceptance in your home...the place you were born...and so you wished to protect it...but how do you think it feels to find _nothing_ in your home...? Nothing but cold glares and heated disdain...

"...I have a family back in the place where I was born...a father, a brother, a sister, and an uncle...bound to me by blood. Yet another chain locked upon me by forces beyond my control. And they...save for my uncle...treated me the same way you now treat Naruto...like a beast. Like a monster. Like a creature unworthy of any degree of decency.

"But here...I have found acceptance. I've found a life worth living. Here...in Konoha...the Hidden Leaf...I have a true family...one of my own choosing. Here...is my brother, Uzumaki Naruto. And I _will not let you kill him."_

Mizuki sneered, eyes narrow and dancing with cruelty. "...You honestly think I _care_ what you say? You think I care _one bit _about that longwinded little monologue of yours! You think you can garner my sympathy with some crackpot sob story like _that!"_

Gaara chuckled, waving a hand dismissively. "No...not really. I just thought I'd garner some time for my _sister_ to get into position."

Mizuki's eyes widened. "W-What!"

He was suddenly propelled from his perch and fell flat on his face on the grass. Naruto snapped his head up and saw Hinata standing there now, arm still locked rigid from the strike she'd landed on Mizuki's neck.

Her light gray eyes were bright and narrow, like the blade of a sword. "...Never call them monsters again...Naruto-kun and Gaara-kun aren't monsters..." she whispered fiercely.

Gaara laughed. "Brilliant, Hinata!"

She nodded.

"Now..." Gaara glanced at Naruto as his laughter faded, "...let's finish this."

He threw up his arm, and a wave of sand surrounded Mizuki's legs just as he managed to rise to his feet. Locked tight, the sand hardened at Gaara's unspoken command and stopped any retreat.

Naruto smirked. "Okay...fine. I'll show you my new move. Iruka-sensei! You watch this, too!"

He took a deep, steadying breath and formed the seal he'd just learned, a seal he'd never seen except on the scroll...the forbidden scroll.

Eyes blazing, he shouted, _"Tajuu kage bunshin no jutsu!"_

_

* * *

_

Iruka stared in slack-mouthed shock as Naruto formed a cross with the index and middle fingers of each hand. It was a seal he only knew vaguely, but he knew it was a powerful one.

_"Tajuu kage bunshin no jutsu!"_

Mass shadow clone..._shadow_ clone? How in the--

He didn't even have time to finish the thought before the entire clearing and several trees surrounding it were flooded with Narutos. There were well over a hundred of them, and every one was spot-on perfect. Iruka couldn't even tell which Naruto was the real one anymore.

"Come on!" they all shouted at Mizuki. "If you think you can...come 'n get us!"

Mizuki shook as he took in the sight, and the realization that he was defeated dawned on his face.

"No?" the clones all said as one. "Well, then...we'll go first!"

And like a single entity, they all moved at once.

* * *

It was less than a minute before Mizuki was beaten into unconsciousness. Naruto, now once again the only Naruto in sight, stood beside his broken, bleeding body with a chagrined smile on his face.

"Uh...guess I kinda...overdid it a little."

Hinata, Gaara, and Iruka all stared at him.

_So many clones...and he can still stand? _Iruka thought, thunderstruck. _Is this...the power of a jinchuuriki? Kami-sama...he's..._

"That was amazing, Naruto-kun!" Hinata finally managed to say. Her face was a picture of awe and pride. A wide, blissful smile was on her face.

Gaara crossed his arms again as the sand around Mizuki flowed back into his gourd. He smirked. "...Most impressive, Naruto. It seems...cloning is no longer beyond you."

"Yep! I did it! I...I...did it...?"

The realization seemed just then to hit him, and he chuckled in disbelief.

"You did it," Gaara said. "And not just after-images, either...flesh-and-blood clones. This..._kage bunshin _technique is...quite useful."

Looking down at Mizuki, Naruto seemed not to hear him. He frowned thoughtfully, then looked back up. "Gaara...what did you mean...about a demon? I...I don't get it. What Misuki-sen--what he said about the fox...the Kyuubi...was that...?"

Gaara nodded. "Yes. Well...no. What _I_ said was true. The nine-tailed fox, the Kyuubi, is within your body. It was sealed there by Yondaime-sama. It's the only way to contain a bijuu."

"Bijuu?"

"The collective name of the nine legendary creatures that have been hypothesized to be the source of all the world's chakra...I don't know if that's true, but all of them have immense power, power that can only be contained within a newborn child through the use of a highly advanced and complicated sealing technique.

"Each bijuu has a certain number of tails, from one to nine, and from that their power can be gauged. The one-tailed raccoon, called Shukaku, is the weakest, while the nine-tailed fox is the strongest."

"...Shukaku..." Hinata whispered. "Isn't...?"

"Isn't that what the Sand called your...?"

Gaara nodded. "Yes, Hinata, Naruto. The one-tailed Shukaku lies within me."

"So...t-that's what you meant when...when you said you were the same...the same as me..." Naruto whispered.

"Yes. My father performed the sealing, which cost my mother her life. It is...why I was hated. Why they all called me 'monster.' We, Naruto...are called jinchuuriki."

Naruto's head lowered again. "...So that...that's why..."

Iruka finally spoke up. "It's why Hokage-sama took you and your classmates to the Hidden Sand. He wanted you to meet someone in your same position, with your same ability."

"...Old Man Hokage...?"

"Yes. It's why he took _you_ in as one of us, Gaara. Hokage-sama does not believe jinchuuriki should be treated in such a disgusting manner. You are no less human for containing a bijuu. That's why he wanted to bring you here. So that you could, like you said, find acceptance."

Gaara smiled slightly. "My father used to call Sarutobi-sama an overly-sentimental fool, but...it seems that is...a blessing."

Naruto looked over at Iruka. "I-Iruka-sensei...you knew...I had the...the Kyuubi inside me...? You knew about this...this sealing?"

Iruka nodded. "Yes. From your birth, I knew."

"And...and you still...still..."

"Mizuki is a fool. You are not responsible for what the Kyuubi did. My parents were killed in that attack, that much he got right...but to blame you for that is not only wrong, it's hopelessly stupid."

"Iruka-sensei is right," Hinata said. "You're Naruto-kun. Not a monster."

A small, trembling smile rose on Naruto's lips. "...Thanks, you guys. I...I think I understand. It isn't because I'm an orphan...Old Man Hokage made that up...it's because they think I'm the Kyuubi...like Mizuki. That's why everyone..."

"Do you remember, Naruto...something you once told me?" Gaara said. "You told me not to bother with people like that. That _they_ were the monsters, not me."

"Yeah...I _did_ say that, huh?"

"I know this must be hard to absorb just now," Iruka said. "You're probably still trying to figure it out. For now, I think we should just let it be. Perhaps you should talk to Hokage-sama about it."

"Maybe..."

"More importantly, Naruto...there's something I need to do."

"Huh?" Naruto regarded Iruka with a confused expression. "What?"

"Close your eyes, Naruto...just for a moment, if you would."

He looked incredulous, but Naruto complied.

Iruka chuckled as he untied his _hitai-ate. _Removing Naruto's goggles, he retied the headband around Naruto's forehead.

"...Okay."

Naruto opened his eyes, saw Iruka's bare forehead and the goggles in his hand, and reached up. He felt the cloth, and the metal band, and gawked. "I-Iruka-sensei..."

"You wanted to try it on yesterday...but you weren't an adult then. You weren't a ninja. Now...you _are. _Congratulations, Naruto."

Naruto's eyes might have fallen out of his head. "But...b-but..." he stammered, "...I thought...Mizuki was...he said...you said..."

Iruka chuckled again. "You've shown me that you have learned all I have to teach. In these few hours, you have grown. All three of you have. You were magnificent tonight. Feel proud of yourselves. You are now, all three of you, shinobi of Konohagakure."

A wide grin overtook him. "And now, to celebrate...what say we head over to Ichiraku for some ramen, huh? They're closed, but I think this is a special occasion. A very special occasion."

He was met with total silence.

Glancing at his three former students, Iruka raised an eyebrow. "Eh?"

Tears leaked down Naruto's face. His lips trembled. "I...I...I-I-_Iruka-sensei!"_

Iruka was tackled in a crushing hug that sent the both of them backward into a tree. Naruto burst into tears as he clung to him, thanking him profusely again and again.

Smiling, Iruka returned the embrace.

Glancing up, he saw Gaara and Hinata both had smiles that reached their ears.

There was absolutely no doubt in Iruka's mind now. Any skepticism, any nervousness, had been dashed completely.

_Sabaku no Gaara...Hyuuga Hinata...Uzumaki Naruto...you three will be legends someday...I can feel it._

He'd never been prouder in his life.

* * *

_Thanks to all of you who reviewed last chapter (and all the chapters before last, actually), especially those who pointed out my mistake in the First Hokage's title. I'm not all that good at Japanese; I've only been exposed to it for about a year, and I'm not actually learning it. I just think certain things sound a lot better in the native language than when literally translated...Speaking of which, I've seen the First's title written as 'Shodai' and as 'Shodaime.' I'm not sure which is correct, but for the sake of consistancy, I'll just go with 'Shodaime.' It sounds better to me._

_I'm rather proud of this chapter; I think it really shows the relationship Naruto, Hinata, and Gaara have developed in the three years between part one and part two. I hope you agree. And don't worry; the next one won't take this long. I spent a lot of time on this chapter to ensure that it told everything I wanted to say, being as how the end of episode/chapter one is a turning point. _

_Thanks for your patience, everyone. Ja ne. _


	14. 2, 3: Contemplation

_**Sorry again for the wait. I had finals to worry about. Now summer's started, though, and things are getting interesting, so I won't be taking so long to update. Enjoy.**_

* * *

"Children should be seen, not heard." 

She had heard that doctrine too many times to count in her young life, and she knew that it would always be true...at least, it would be true for "noble" families like the Hyuuga Clan. Aristocrats, high-blooded officials, fancily dressed politicians; they always held to that idea. The children of their house were not born of love, were not raised with patience and affection. Children in families such as hers were trophies, legacies, empty vessels in which to place the ideals of the elders. They had no minds of their own, no hearts, no emotions; they were simply tools.

She remembered Neji once likening his life as a Branch Family member to that of a caged bird. And while she knew that, as a member of the Head Family, she had numerous advantages over him, not the least of which being the absence of the cursed seal which made Branch members naught but slaves to the whim of the clan patriarch, but sometimes _she_ felt like a caged bird, too. Neji might have it worse, but that didn't exactly make _her _life a walk in the park.

She was the golden child, the one on whose shoulders rested the hopes of the elders, and that meant she was constantly scrutinized. Like some prized katana on display in a museum, she was constantly checked for flaws and cracks, and whenever one was found she was re-forged by the flame and hammer of their disdainful lectures, smashed upon the anvil of their harsh words:

"You are a Hyuuga. You are better than they. You will prove yourself or you will be cast out. Prove the worth of the blood in your veins."

She had heard _that _far too many times to count. Even when she succeeded, even when she earned their praise, they still reminded her of her "duty" to the clan. It seemed as though she would never be good enough, would never rise to their expectations of her.

Hyuuga Hanabi's reputation _glowed _in her comparison to her sister's, but it still wasn't good enough. She was stronger, faster, _better _than Hinata in every regard, they said, but that wasn't good enough. Being better than the disgrace of the clan _of course _wasn't good enough.

It wasn't fair. Hinata was older. She was the firstborn daughter of Hyuuga Hiashi; that should have meant _she _was the one constantly in the spotlight, that _she _was the one constantly being scrutinized and lectured, and that Hanabi was off somewhere in the background, growing at her own pace without the whip-crack of their cold, steel-grey eyes biting into her back.

She wanted to hate Hinata for her failure.

It would have felt so _good _to hate her for it, to resent her, to blame her, to put everything on _her _shoulders so that Hanabi herself could at least be allowed to _vent _the anger she felt.

But she couldn't hate Hinata.

As much as she would have liked to, she just couldn't.

"...Hanabi-chan?"

Looking up, Hanabi watched as her older sister stepped into her room, her new _hitai-ate _displayed proudly around her neck. It made the younger Hyuuga smile; her neesan was a ninja now, not just a student.

She wished she had been able to go to the ceremony, but Hiashi had had previous engagements.

"Congratulations, Neesan," she said.

Hinata smiled. "Thank you, Hanabi-chan. It's official now. Gaara-kun and Naruto-kun passed, too."

Hanabi knew Uzumaki Naruto and Sabaku no Gaara only by association; it was very rare that she saw them, since they had yet to be invited into the compound and Hanabi almost never wandered the village. On the rare occasions she had seen her sister's friends, though, she had thought them interesting, if a little strange, people. A good sort. She didn't understand what her father disliked so much about them, but then, Hyuuga Hiashi didn't particularly like _anyone,_ so it was to be expected.

"I heard Naruto-san failed, though," Hanabi said.

Hinata nodded. "Yes, he did, at first. But then he passed. Iruka-sensei reevaluated his performance, so now he's a ninja, too."

"Oh? That's good. So when do you all get your first assignments?"

"In a couple days, I think."

Hanabi smiled. Hinata had joined the academy out of necessity ("No Hyuuga will be a common civilian," Hiashi said on any number of occasions), not out of desire, but ever since visiting the Sand Village she had seemed to have a new determination, and now, three years later, everything had fallen into place.

There was such happiness in Hinata's elfin face that Hanabi couldn't help but be happy with her. That was one thing about Hinata that Hanabi was especially glad for; she didn't hide her emotions. She didn't keep up a permanent poker face, never letting anyone see what she felt. She was honest. In a noble family, honesty wasn't exactly commonplace...to find it was rare in the extreme.

In the entirety of the Hyuuga Clan, Hinata was the only honest one. And she was the only real family Hanabi had, a comforting presence in a sea of strangers. She was the only person who treated Hanabi like a human being, worthy of _real _attention.

"Is Otousama sleeping already?" Hinata asked, snapping Hanabi out of her reverie.

"Yes," Hanabi nodded. "He went to bed an hour ago."

"Okay. I won't bother him, then. Well...goodnight, Hanabi-chan."

"Goodnight, Neesan," Hanabi replied.

There were usually very few words spoken between them, but that was all that was needed. Just those few words, those simple phrases, that true acknowledgement, was all that was needed.

Maybe the rest of the clan hated Hinata because she was a "failure," but Hanabi admired her because she really wasn't. The rest of the clan called her weak, but there was so much strength in her shy smile that Hanabi couldn't understand how they could say that. For a group of ninja so admired for their "all-seeing eye," they were rather blind.

* * *

The next day, Hanabi found herself with the day to herself, and so Hinata took her out to lunch at Ichiraku, the most well-loved restaurant in Konoha. As she waited patiently for her miso ramen to be served, the younger Hyuuga sister looked around at the village she so rarely got to see, at the people bustling about and talking to each other and laughing. It was a refreshing change from the stuffy silence of the compound. 

"Hey," Hanabi said, tapping her sister's shoulder and pointing, "isn't that Gaara-san?"

"Hm?" Hinata looked over. "Oh! Yes, it is. Gaara-kun!"

The red-haired youth glanced up at the two of them and nodded acknowledgment, walking over to them. Placing his hands in the pockets of his black pants, Gaara rolled his shoulders and shook his head.

"Hello," he said. He inclined his head at Hanabi. "Nice to see you again, Hanabi."

"Good afternoon, Gaara-san."

Hinata raised an eyebrow. "You look tired, Gaara-kun. Have you been training?"

"No," Gaara said, shaking his head again. "I've been, uh...watching Naruto get himself beaten to a pulp."

"What? What are you talking about?"

Sensing the worry in Hinata's voice, Gaara waved off her concern. "He's just being his usual self. You know. He's...apparently trying to teach his seduction technique to Sarutobi-sama's grandson, Konohamaru."

"Seduction technique?" Hanabi repeated.

"For lack of a more...tasteful way to put it, a sex change genjutsu. He _claims _it's for surprising the enemy, but somehow I don't think that was his original purpose. In any case, it evidently caught the interest of Konohamaru, because he's been following Naruto around all day trying to learn it."

"What did you mean about him getting beaten?" Hinata asked.

Gaara smirked the slightest bit. "Naruto's...instruction has caught the attention of several women of the village, and...they aren't taking kindly to it. One would think a person could only have _two _black eyes at the most...not so for Naruto."

Hinata frowned. "I hope he doesn't get hurt too badly."

"I doubt it."

Gaara sat down on a stool beside Hinata and leaned on the bar. When asked for an order, he requested only a glass of water. "So...what brings you out into the village, Hanabi?"

"I...had some free time, so we decided to have lunch here."

Gaara nodded. "I see. You should see about coming out in the open more often...you look pale."

Hanabi thought about bringing up the fact that Gaara wasn't exactly bronze-skinned himself, but she didn't. He seemed honestly concerned about her welfare, and she didn't want to respond to his kindness with sarcasm.

She had heard stories about Gaara from when he had been in the Sand village, but she wasn't sure if she believed them. True, she didn't know him that well, but he certainly didn't seem insane to her, and there was a tranquility about him, a serene confidence, that made her feel secure. Hanabi, for one, couldn't understand why anyone would fear Sabaku no Gaara.

And for the record, she didn't understand the people who feared Uzumaki Naruto, either.

A sudden crash followed by women's screams made Gaara flinch.

"Oh, no..." he groaned. "Naruto, you fool...Yamada-san _told _you not to try sneaking into the woman's bathhouse again..."

Gaara drained the rest of his water and stood up. "I suppose I should survey the damage...goodbye Hinata, Hanabi."

He left, shaking his head again as he did.

Hinata smiled slightly. "Naruto-kun sure gets into a lot of trouble..."

It sounded like maybe she was _trying _to reprimand her friend with that comment, but it really didn't work. Hanabi could hear the admiration, the downright _adoration_, in her sister's voice whenever she spoke about her blonde-headed friend, and no matter what he did Hinata never faltered. He could do no wrong in her eyes.

Hanabi wondered about that. Sure, it had inspired Hinata to become a ninja, and she _had _grown stronger for having been friends with him for three years, but still...would anything come of this crush of hers?

Hanabi thought it was doubtful, if only because Hinata would probably never buck up the courage to tell Naruto how she felt, and as nice as Naruto was, he seemed far too dense to catch onto it himself.

Maybe that would change eventually.

When her lunch arrived, Hanabi settled down to eat and decided to just wait and see. If nothing else, it would probably be entertaining.

* * *

"There you are," Gaara said, walking up to Naruto. 

Looking up, Naruto chuckled. "Hiya, Gaara. How's it goin'?"

"Your bruises are already healing. Interesting."

Naruto shrugged. "Yeah. I've always healed fast."

Gaara sat down on the felled tree stump Naruto was already occupying and looked up at the leaf-choked branches above them. "...Where is Konohamaru?"

"He went home."

"Any progress?"

"Oh, yeah," Naruto nodded with a grin. "He's got it down. Now I think he's practicing my harem technique."

"...Harem technique? I don't think I even want to know what _that _is."

Naruto grinned. "Knocked that Ebisu jerk flat."

"Ebisu...Konohamaru's personal trainer, yes?"

"Yup."

"Hmmm..."

A long silence followed. When Naruto finally broke it, his voice was oddly contemplative. "Say...Gaara?"

"Yes?"

"You've done a lot of research on them...uh...Bijuu, right?"

"Well, I've read what our village has to offer on them."

"So I guess you know a lot about 'em, right?"

Gaara frowned thoughtfully. "Not much other than what I told you last night, and honestly...I'm not even sure about the validity of that. A lot of the documents pertaining to the Nine are...more speculation than fact. I'd like to find something written by another Jinchuuriki, but...evidently our predecessors were less than forthcoming about their experiences."

Naruto contemplated this, looking down at his clasped hands. "So...this's been done before. Sealing them in people, I mean."

"Yes. It is very rare that such endeavors are successful, but they have been done before. I believe I am the fourth to hold the Shukaku...or, at least, the fourth from the established Hidden Sand. Perhaps there were others before then. I'm not sure. I don't know how many have held the Kyuubi, like you. I would assume very, very few, given the fox's strength...it must have been a hellish procedure for Yondaime-sama to have done it."

Naruto put a hand on his chest. "...Well, I don't know exactly how I feel about having a...demon inside me. But...at least I get it, now. Everything makes sense now. I mean...about the village. Why...everyone hates me so much."

"Everyone? I wouldn't go so far as that. Perhaps the majority of the civilians do, and numerous older ninja...but remember Iruka-sensei, and the rest of our own generation. They don't hate you because of the demon...they hate you because you're annoying."

Naruto actually laughed. "Gee, thanks, _friend."_

"Don't hate me because I'm honest. Even _you _have to realize you get annoying sometimes. No doubt anyone else besides Hinata would say _most _of the time, but...we've built up an immunity."

Naruto chuckled. "None of you appreciate my genius."

"...Genius. Right."

"Hey, I beat a chuunin yesterday, remember?"

"We helped you."

"So? I could've done it myself! I could've done it easy!"

"Oh...? I wonder. Your new move is impressive, but could you have defeated Mizuki so easily had he not been immobilized by my sand?"

"How could he have gotten away? There were too many of me! You guys just made it easier for me."

Gaara smirked. "Suddenly cocky now. Well, I suppose we'll see how good you are when you go on your first mission."

"I'll do so good they'll promote me to jounin!"

"...Uh-huh."

"What? Don't believe me? You just watch! They will!"

Gaara nodded. "I'm certain."

"You're not even listening, are you?"

"Fascinating. Please go on."

"Gaara!"

* * *

"So...Naruto came in today to be instated." 

Iruka raised an eyebrow. "Yes, he did."

Sandaime chuckled. "Interesting...he commits a felony by stealing my scroll and you reward him. He must have been...impressive."

Iruka nodded. "Very. And besides, Mizuki manipulated him. Naruto didn't even know the scroll was forbidden. We can't very well hold it against him if an instructor told him it was okay to borrow it."

"...I suppose not. You know, I saw something very interesting today..."

Iruka groaned. "Yes, I hear he...used his 'seduction' technique on you this morning."

Sandaime cleared his throat. "Well, yes...but that is not what I meant. He...apparently has learned something from the scroll. _Kage bunshin?"_

"Oh...yes. And, if I may say, he's quite adept at it already. I saw him use it last night. It's why I decided to pass him. I know it's a forbidden technique, but given the circumstances of this case I don't think that is much of an issue. The main concern about that technique is all but nullified in Naruto's case. We really don't need to worry about him draining his chakra...I don't think he _could _drain it, honestly."

Sandaime rubbed his chin. "Hmmm...that _is _true, isn't it...? I suppose...given that, I could let his transgression slide. He's learned a technique that gives him quite an advantage in the field, and he was breaking a law he was never informed of when he learned it...and from reports I've received, you're right. Mizuki did tell Naruto to use the scroll. He said learning a technique from there would allow him to graduate, correct?"

Iruka nodded. "That's what Naruto said."

"Hmmm...this boy is causing me to bend the rules far more often that I would prefer...he had better be worth it."

"Have you finalized a jounin commander for him?"

"Oh, yes...he still needs discipline, so I've decided Kakashi should handle him. He's been my...running favorite for quite some time, after all. A man like him would do Naruto good."

"And you've okayed my recommendation for his teammates, haven't you?"

Sandaime chuckled. "Of course. I don't see any other choice in that matter. They've all but formed a squad already. And if I were to separate them, I doubt they would ever forgive me."

Iruka chuckled as well. "Well...I'm not sure if I envy Kakashi or pity him...he'll certainly have a time with them."

"Oh, I don't think he'll have much trouble, honestly. From your report earlier, it sounds like they'll work well together. All four of them."

Iruka nodded and stood to leave, then stopped. "Wait...Hokage-sama, you saw Naruto use _kage bunshin _today? He did it again?"

"Oh, yes..." Sandaime said. "But...not only that. He...combined it with another technique."

"Combined? What did he do?"

"Something he calls his...harem technique."

Iruka didn't need to ask.

"...Oh."

"Mm."

He left the room without another word.

* * *

_One of the things I love about writing fiction is that I can do whatever I want. That's why I've decided to give Hanabi a greater role than the one she plays in the real series...does she even _have _a role in the real series? Well, I've decided to fix that. It's really not fair. Naruto is filled with so many great characters; why should poor little Hanabi-chan be one of the only ones without any depth? (For the record, the only other character with no depth in my opinion is Sakura, but that just might be my own personal bias against her...I'm sure she's complex, but I just don't care; I hate her) _

_Speaking of doing whatever I want, those of you saying you can't wait for Haku...neither can I. I'm going to do something special for that section of the story, something more than what Kishimoto-sama did. Haku and Zabuza are both two of my favorite characters in the entire series (I think Hinata is my personal favorite, but those two are up there), so I have to do them justice, don't I? I'm a bit intimidated by the fights in that section, given that I have to recreate them from scratch, but then...I knew there'd be challenges when I started this little idea of mine._

_Those of you who corrected me on my misinterpretation on the power levels of the Bijuu, thanks. I've a feeling I'll be making numerous mistakes in this story (or is it a novel now? I'm not sure), but hopefully with your help I'll manage to fix them. _

_Lastly, to everyone who has reviewed and/or put this story on their favorites list, thank you very much. You keep me inspired. Without you, this idea would have remained trapped in my head. Hopefully I'll be able to make it up to you by making the rest of this tale entertaining._

_Ja ne, all. _


	15. 2, 4: Squad Seven

"Hey...I thought you failed, Naruto. This meeting is only for _graduates_, you know," Shikamaru said, looking up from where he sat as Naruto sauntered into the room. Head cradled in one palm, the young genius looked about as interested as a dead sloth in where he was and what was happening, but he did raise an eyebrow when Naruto flashed a grin.

"Ha! See this?" He pointed to his headband. "See? See? I _did _graduate, so take _that! _Whaddaya think, huh? It's like it was made for me!"

Shikamaru grunted and Naruto sat down with a smug grin on his face.

Excitement like lightning flowed through him as he waited for the rest of his peers to show up so the announcement could be made. He wondered what sort of assignment he would receive, what sort of missions he would be taking on now that he was a part of his village's military.

It still made Naruto giddy thinking that. He grinned and couldn't suppress a fit of giggles as he leaned his head on his folded hands. Many people sitting near him, the people who understood the "seriousness" of their new place in society as defenders of the civilians, cast him annoyed glares.

_Doesn't he know what this means? _their glares asked. _Doesn't he understand that we'll be risking our lives on a daily basis now? Why in the name of God is he grinning like an idiot? This isn't some Sunday picnic!_

Naruto knew that. He'd heard it all. He knew precisely what being a ninja meant. He had trained with his friends enough by now to know just about everything there was to know about the dangers of being a shinobi. But that wasn't what he was thinking about.

He was thinking about discovering his true potential, about showing just what he could do. He was thinking about testing himself to his limits and gaining enough power to finally prove he was worthwhile. This was the first step toward that goal, but it was a huge step, and he was extremely proud of himself for having done it.

Of course, he wasn't _that _conceited. He knew he couldn't have done it alone. He had numerous people to thank for this monumental achievement: Gaara, Hinata, Iruka-sensei, even Old Man Hokage. And of course, the jeering doubtfulness of his other peers had spurred him on as well.

Still, he felt particularly boastful this morning, and leaned back in his chair with a smug look on his face as he surveyed _the underlings _beneath him. Okay, okay, so it was only coincidence that they sat at a lower level than he, but he liked to think that sitting in the back of the room was an honor instead of simple habit. He was on the highest row (and consequently, the furthest from where Iruka would be speaking in a matter of minutes, which probably meant he would he hard to hear...but that wasn't important), and that meant he was better than everyone else.

...That was what he told himself, even though he knew it was false. It made him chuckle, and he crossed his arms and sat up straighter.

This posture earned him some more scornful looks, more so than his previous giggling had, but he'd long since learned to ignore that. Who cared? _He _certainly didn't.

There were three seats at the table he currently sat before, and he sat in the middle. When Gaara sat down to his left, and Hinata to his right, he was entirely unsurprised. He grinned at them both, and they smiled back.

"Exuberant as ever, I see," Gaara murmured, eyes forward.

"Sure! 'Course I am! Uh...I think."

Hinata leaned over and tapped Naruto's shoulder. "Naruto-kun," she whispered, "he means you're excited."

"Oh. Well, jeez, why not just say that! You 'n your big words."

Gaara smirked. "Exuberant sounds better."

"Yeah, yeah...sure. Sheesh...dumb word." Naruto scrunched up his face in a mockingly distinguished expression. "_Exuberant. _I see you're _exuberant _today...why, yes, I most certainly _am, _thank you for noticing."

Hinata giggled softly and Gaara's smirk widened the slightest bit.

The three of them looked over to the double doors to their right as Yamanaka Ino and Haruno Sakura walked inside, laughing as they talked about who knew what. Naruto raised an eyebrow.

"Uh...Gaara? You understand any o' that?"

"No."

"Hinata?"

"...They're talking about flowers."

"Flowers? Then what was Ino sayin' about a baby?"

"Baby's _breath," _Hinata corrected. "It's a kind of flower."

"...Oh. Whatever."

The pair sat down next to each other farther down the room, still talking animatedly. Then the door at the bottom level on the left wall opened and Iruka stepped inside, a clipboard in his hands. He glanced at the gathered ninja, a slight smile on his face, checked a sheet of paper, nodded to himself, and cleared his throat.

"Okay, good. Everyone's here. Well, how do you all feel this morning?" He looked around, chuckling at the less than enthusiastic response. It was early, after all, and Iruka had been late.

"Let's go, already," Shikamaru muttered.

Iruka raised an eyebrow. "Always polite, aren't you, Shikamaru? Well, anyway, fine. Let's cut to the chase here. You all have been called here today because you've been deemed talented enough and competent enough to join the ranks of Konoha's shinobi. Of course, right now, you all understand that you're genin. Rookies. So expect a lot of work ahead of you."

Grumbled responses.

"If you want to rise in the ranks," Iruka continued, "then this is an important part of your career. Pay close attention to what you'll learn now. You won't be graded anymore. You're not in school anymore. This is your job. You're all adults now, and if you don't realize it soon you'll likely end up seriously injured or dead. This is a very serious thing for you to know. It's not about homework and exams anymore. It's about life and death. So pay _very _close attention."

The bored, annoyed expressions had all but disappeared. Iruka nodded, clearly satisfied with this response, and surveyed his former students again.

"All right, then. I have a few things to explain before you all go off to become ninja. First off, since you are new at this and haven't ever been on a mission before, you'll need someone to teach you the ins and outs of the job so we can all be sure you'll survive. For this purpose, we have several specially chosen jounin commanders to train you."

Naruto's eyes widened slightly upon hearing this. "Ooh...cool. We get to learn from the best." He grinned. "This's gonna be awesome..."

"Another thing," Iruka said, and Naruto turned his head to listen again. "You won't be alone. For one thing, we don't have enough jounin to spare to have them train each of you one-on-one. You all will be placed in squads of three. There are numerous reasons for this, and you'll find that out after a while.

"Each squad will have two boys and one girl. We've been doing it this way for generations, and it works out for the best. It will be very important for you to learn to get along with your teammates, whoever they end up being. If you don't, you probably won't get anywhere. Now, I can see that if I go on much longer some of you," here he glanced pointedly at Shikamaru, "may end up falling asleep, so I'll announce the squads now. Each of you, pay attention, because I'll only say this once."

Everyone seemed to move forward in anticipation.

"Everyone listening?"

Iruka looked around, and smiled slightly.

"Good. Okay. Squad one: Yamamoto Kimura, Benio Ichiha, and Hatsuto Naoaki..."

Naruto's thoughts were going a mile a minute, and he barely heard his instructor listing off the names of his classmates. Groups of three...a jounin commander...training...missions...

"Naruto-kun," Hinata whispered, "you should pay attention."

"Huh? Oh...yeah."

"He warned you; he's only going to tell us our assigned squads once," Gaara added.

"Mm...yeah. Got it."

"...Squad four: Yamamato Sadaharu, Daisuke Gaku, Maeka Hanae..."

"Yamamato again..." Naruto murmured. "Who're they, anyway?"

"Kimura-kun is down there," Hinata said, pointing to a boy with long black hair in what looked like hundreds of tiny braids, "and Sada-kun is over there," she pointed to another boy with short, spiked brown hair. "They're twins."

"Oh, yeah...didn' Kimura have some sort of operation 'r somethin'?"

"Yes," Gaara said. "He fractured his skull when he was younger...barely recovered. No one ever thought he would end up a shinobi."

"Hmmm..."

"...Squad seven," Iruka was saying now, "Uzumaki Naruto."

Naruto perked up. "Hm?"

"Hyuuga Hinata."

Hinata gasped.

"Sabaku no Gaara."

Gaara smirked.

Iruka was smiling at them as he finished, and Naruto could barely contain his excitement. No way! No freakin' way!

"Awesome!" Naruto cried, throwing his fist in the air. "You rock, Sensei!"

Iruka chuckled. "Thank you. Now, squad eight: Haruno Sakura, Aburame Shino, and Inuzuka Kiba."

Sakura groaned.

"...Squad ten is Yamanaka Ino, Nara Shikamaru, and Akimichi Chouji."

Shikamaru chuckled and Ino screamed.

"That's all," Iruka said, ignoring Ino's indignant squawking about working with a "fat pig."

"You'll meet up with your commanding officers this afternoon. For now, you're dismissed. Find your teammates, acquaint yourselves if you haven't already, and get ready for the first of many important tests. This is it; you're out of my hands. Let me congratulate you again. You've all made me very proud to have had you. Good luck."

As Iruka said this, Naruto had a feeling that, while the chuunin's eyes scanned everyone, this message was specifically for him. The blonde genin's grin reached his ears, making his face ache.

"I...I can't believe it..." Hinata was whispering. "This is...is..."

Gaara glanced at the young Hyuuga and smiled slightly. "Are you feeling okay, Hinata?"

Naruto wasn't sure. For some reason, Hinata's face was reddening. She kept glancing at him, then at Gaara, then down at Iruka, then back to him.

"I...I remember...Otousama told me once that...that genin are always placed in three-man squads..." Hinata said. "Two boys and one girl...he said it had been that way since...since he was a child...I remember hoping...that if that happened...well...I never...I never thought..."

She was having trouble speaking, but she was smiling. Relieved joy shone on her face. Naruto chuckled and threw an arm around her shoulders. "Yeah, well, we got good luck, huh?" He threw his other arm around Gaara. "Real good luck!"

"Somehow..." Gaara murmured, "...I don't think it has anything to do with luck..."

Iruka locked eyes with him, and Gaara's small smirk widened when the chuunin winked at him.

* * *

As Naruto slurped up noodles from his cup of ramen, he watched Gaara's contemplative face as he watched a flock of birds flying toward some unknown destination.

"What's up, Gaara?" Naruto asked.

"Nothing," he said, turning to face his new teammates (although _new _wasn't exactly the best word). "I'm just wondering what our commander will be like."

"What's 'ere to wonder about!" Naruto exclaimed happily. "He's a jounin! He'll prob'ly be super-cool! All mysterious-like and too strong for anyone to beat 'im!"

Hinata, nibbling on a sliced carrot, smiled slightly around her food. Gaara had to smile, too. Naruto could always be counted on to be very optimistic, almost to the point of childishness, when it came to new experiences.

"Perhaps..."

"Hmmm..." Hinata murmured, looking down at her feet. Naruto was busy thinking up a physical makeup for his mystery commander, but Gaara noted the slightly worried expression on her face.

_Her father is a jounin... _Gaara thought, and figured he understood what his friend was worried about. Not that her father himself would be their commander; Hyuuga Hiashi was likely _too busy _and _too important _to assist in the training of..._rookies_. Gaara rolled his eyes just thinking about the one time he had met the Hyuuga patriarch.

He reminded Gaara of his own father...only Hiashi was more conceited. _If the Hyuuga are the greatest clan of ninja ever to be created, _Gaara thought, _then why have none of the Hokage ever been Hyuuga?_

In short, he had no place claiming his superiority over everyone else in the village. But then, arrogant people usually didn't.

Hinata was probably worried that their commander would be _like _Hiashi, not Hiashi himself. And actually...Gaara had a feeling that her worries weren't exactly misplaced.

Arrogance wasn't uncommon among the elite.

It was something Gaara had learned long ago.

"Well," Gaara said, standing up, "let's go to our assigned room and wait for our commander there. It's about that time."

Naruto drained the broth from his cup of ramen in one pull and tossed it into the nearby trash can. Hinata quickly but neatly packed the remainder of her lunch and put it into the pouch hidden beneath her coat.

Gaara hoped Hinata's worries were misplaced.

* * *

"Kakashi."

The stone-faced jounin turned and regarded Iruka silently.

"Your new students are waiting for you," Iruka said, crossing his arms. "I know you don't like disturbances...out here, but it's probably best not to keep Naruto too long. You...never know what he might do."

Kakashi sighed. "Yes...I'm sure you're right. I might have known Hokage-sama would do this...so the prophesied squad has come to be. _This _should be interesting."

Iruka chuckled. "I'm sure you won't have much trouble...after a bit. One thing I can say with full confidence is that they work together very well."

Kakashi's one visible eyebrow raised slightly.

"...Oh?"

"Yes. I've seen them fight together."

"The incident with Mizuki?"

Iruka nodded. "He didn't stand a chance. They were...magnificent."

Kakashi rubbed his cloth-covered chin. "Hmmm...I think my estimation of these three just rose a notch. Perhaps this will be worth my time after all...very well, Iruka. I suppose I'll leave now."

Iruka smiled. "All right, then. Good luck."

And with that he left.

Kakashi, before following, turned back to the stone he had been looking at previously. A single name stood out in his vision. He sighed heavily.

"...I wonder what you would be thinking now...now _I'm _the one in charge, officially. Minato-sensei told me once that this would probably happen at some point."

A low chuckle.

"You're probably laughing right now." He looked up at the sky. "Well...enjoy the show, Obito. This should be interesting, to say the least."

Kakashi turned on his heel and walked toward the academy.

* * *

"Naruto-kun..."

The rising inflection with which she said his name made Naruto flinch. He whirled around. "Huh? What? I didn't do anything!"

A chalkboard eraser fell from his hand, which he had hidden behind his back. Looking down at the device as if it had betrayed him, Naruto scowled and kicked it.

Hinata smiled when he stalked over to a chair and sat down. Looking over at her, he raised an eyebrow. "Just thought I'd clean off the board 'r something."

"And that's why you jumped like a man caught stealing when she said your name...right?" Gaara posed.

"Uh...yeah! Sure!" And then he grumbled something that sounded, to Hinata's ears, like, "Stupid smart guy."

All three turned when the door opened.

"Finally!" Naruto exclaimed. "You're late!"

The man who stepped in the room made no reply, but simply stood there, arms crossed. He had silver hair, messy and shoved to one side by the odd way he wore his _hitai-ate_ (slanted, covering his left eye). From the nose down was a tight, black mask, leaving his right eye the only discernable feature on his entire face.

Other than that, he was dressed in the typical garb of a Konoha shinobi: black clothing, green vest, armored gloves. He stood easy, completely relaxed, and in his single visible eye the three genin could see that he was...

...Completely bored.

"H-H-Hello, Sensei," Hinata offered with a small bow.

Gaara and Naruto were silent.

"Hmmm..." the jounin said, raising one hand to rub his chin. "Based on my first impression of you, I'd have to say..."

Silence hung in the air.

"...We've got a lot of work ahead of us."

Somehow, that analysis wasn't as bad as they'd figured on.

Honestly, Naruto had figured he would say something like, "I hate you," or, "You're a bunch of idiots."

"Anyway," the jounin said, "let's get out of here. It's stifling."

He left the room without another word.

Glancing at each other, the new Squad Seven shrugged their shoulders and followed their commander.

* * *

"Okay...first off...tell us all a bit about yourselves."

"Eh?" Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Like what?"

The jounin shrugged. "Dreams, ambitions, hobbies, likes, dislikes...stuff like that. You first."

"Uh..." Naruto thought a moment. "I, uh...well, how 'bout _you_ go first? Show us whatcha want."

"Me?" The jounin pointed to himself. "Okay, fine. My name is Hatake Kakashi. I really don't feel like disclosing my likes and dislikes. My dreams and ambitions are really none of your business. I...have a few hobbies. Anyway, your turn."

Gaara frowned. "Well, at least we have a name..."

"Well, all right, then!" Naruto said. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto! I, uh...I like ramen and...and hanging out with my friends. I hate that stupid three minutes it takes for the microwave to cook my ramen! And my dream? To be the greatest Hokage ever!"

Naruto's crystalline blue eyes blazed with intensity. His grin nearly reached his ears.

"All right, that's good...you next."

"I am Sabaku no Gaara," Gaara said. "I like studying and...training with Naruto and Hinata, I suppose. I dislike...ignorance. I don't have any particular dream or ambition at this point...none that I particularly feel like...disclosing, you understand."

Kakashi looked at the red-haired genin for a moment longer than he had Naruto, then turned his attention to Hinata. "And the little lady?"

"I, um...I'm Hyuuga Hinata. I like...um...I like cooking and...and going places with Naruto-kun and Gaara-kun...I don't like...um...well, I don't like mean people. Someday I want to...I want to...be a good clan leader. Well...if I can..."

Kakashi said nothing for a moment.

"Hmmm...fine. You're all different. I like that. And it seems you know each other already. Even better. Well...our formal training begins tomorrow."

"Yassir!" Naruto cried, throwing his arm up in a melodramatic salute. "What will our duties be, _sir!"_

"...Our first mission will involve only the members of this squad," Kakashi said.

"What is it what is it what is it what is it?" Naruto demanded, leaning forward.

"Survival training."

"Survival training?" Gaara repeated. "We've just graduated...and you're going to put us through exercises we have gone through _ad nauseam_ at the academy? No...that can't be it. What will be different?"

"Sharp, aren't you? Yes, there will be a key difference between this training and the training you went through with Iruka. This time...you will have to survive against _me._

"It won't be your typical practice."

"Well, then," Naruto said, "what kinda practice will it be?"

"Actually..." Kakashi corrected, "it's more of a test. An important test."

"...Huh?"

Kakashi chuckled.

"What's funny?" Gaara asked.

"Oh, nothing...but once I tell you, I don't think you'll want to go through with it."

"Somehow I _already_ think I don't want to go through with this, judging by your chuckling," Gaara replied, "but I also think I don't have much of a choice...do I?"

"No, you don't."

"Then...what is it?" Hinata asked. "What will we be doing?"

"Well..." Kakashi began, leaning forward slightly. "...Of the thirty students that graduated from your class, only _nine _will become official genin. So...this survival training we will conduct tomorrow will be a test with a seventy-percent failure rate."

_"WHAT!" _Naruto shouted. "We just went through _hell _graduating from the academy, and you're telling us we're _still _not genin!"

"Not quite," Kakashi said. "It was Iruka's job to evaluate your skills to ensure you had the potential to _become_ genin...it's _my _job to see if you _are _genin. I'll be doing it tomorrow."

Kakashi stood up. "So, be sure to bring all your tools and weapons with you tomorrow; meet me at the training grounds tomorrow at 5 AM sharp."

He turned around. "Oh...and by the way...I wouldn't eat breakfast if I were you...not unless you _enjoy _vomiting."

Crossing his arms, Kakashi scanned the sky. "That's all for today. You're dismissed."

* * *

"Crap!" Naruto snarled. "Another _stupid _test!"

"N-Naruto-kun...it's okay..."

"No it's not, Hinata! They gypped us! Iruka-sensei, Old Man Hokage, _all _of 'em! We go through all that crap to get these _stupid _headbands and some one-eyed freak goes 'n tells us we're _still _not ninja!"

"It's no use fuming about it now, Naruto," Gaara said gently. "It's just another part of the process. Use that anger to fuel your determination. Show Kakashi-sensei what you're made of."

"And...and remember, Naruto-kun," Hinata offered. "We...we're a team. We'll help you."

"That's right," Gaara nodded, "we'll back you."

Naruto's anger seemed to melt away, and he was suddenly his usual happy self again. "...Okay. Sure. We'll show that old guy what we can do! He'll have no _choice _but to make us genin!"

"That's right."

"Yes..."

"Let's go get some lunch, then!"

"Fine," Gaara said, "but if we're going out to eat, let's go somewhere other than Ichiraku...someplace with _vegetables, _preferably...you really need to start eating more than just ramen."

"Huh? Aw, man! That sucks!"

"Gaara-kun is right," Hinata said. "If you keep eating ramen all the time...you'll get sick."

"Aw...jeez..."

"Come on," Gaara said, "I know a place with excellent food. You'll enjoy expanding your horizons; I assure you."

He ceded to his friends' insistence, but they still had to half-drag, half-shove him toward the restaurant.

No ramen for lunch before a big test tomorrow?

It seemed like bad luck to Naruto.

It really did.

* * *

_Some random information:_

_The reason Ino and Sakura weren't bickering when they showed up might be obvious, but just in case some of you don't understand, the answer is simple: Sasuke isn't there. They were good friends before Sasuke turned them into rivals. Since Sasuke's gone, they aren't rivals._

_The names of the members of the other squads I invented randomly. They don't really have any significance. They don't even become genin, so they don't matter, anyway._


	16. 2, 5: Two Bells, One Mission

_Before we get on with this chapter, I'd like to get one thing out of the way. About the squads and the numbers...I hadn't considered that. But all in all, it doesn't matter much to the overall work. So what say we just let that little error slide, huh? Anyway, here's another long 'un for ya. Hope you enjoy it._

* * *

Ghost town... 

It was a term he was familiar with. People would have been shocked and probably a little horrified if they discovered just how many books he had read in his life.

A third of a person's life is spent sleeping. That's what he had heard. But he had that third to do whatever he wished. More often than not, he trained, read, or meditated. And in his childhood, when he hadn't had many techniques to practice, he had read many, many, _many_ books. And in those books, he had seen the words "Ghost Town" countless times.

He used to think they represented isolation. Complete and total isolation. Isolation so complete that any living being that entered its borders would_ imagine_ the former occupants were still there, just to recreate some semblance of humanity. To do otherwise would be to drive them insane.

But...no. That wasn't it.

A ghost town...was just that.

He could _feel_ them.

It felt eerie, to have such a certainty. It made him jumpy, and he did _not_ like feeling jumpy. He hated it. He felt...insecure. Nervous. His eyes kept darting from here to there, seeking out the shadows, waiting to see the people he knew had to be there...

Gaara understood completely.

He understood why no one ever entered the Uchiha District.

The air was stifling. Darkness ruled here.

Isolation ruled here.

And the ghosts were really there.

Anguish, regret, shock, reproach, he _felt_ these things here, all about him like the harshest of winds, and this time the sand could do nothing to protect him. Even as his logical side told him he was imagining everything, even as his mind strained mightily to convince him that there were no ghosts here...his heart screamed to the contrary.

The Uchiha Clan had once been the most prestigious of all in the Hidden Leaf, surpassing even the Hyuuga. The Hyuuga were older, and they had more influence, but the Uchiha...they had been the prodigies.

The pride of Konohagakure, the holders of the mythic Sharingan, they had been gods among beasts. Above all who surrounded them, they had stood like kings in their own blinding, golden light.

And then...a prodigy among prodigies had ended it all.

Gaara knew about Uchiha Itachi. Everyone in the village knew about him. A man strong enough and talented enough to be an ANBU captain at the age of thirteen, when most of his peers had still been genin, was always noticed. A living legend, a man to whom even Death bowed and cowered, Itachi had shocked even the Hokage.

Yes...he had been well known.

And now, Gaara stood in the midst of the Uchiha prodigy's lasting legacy...his final message.

The Uchiha Clan was dead.

Itachi himself had vanished years ago, and his young brother Sasuke was now a part of Sunagakure. The greatest shinobi clan ever to grace Konoha's history was officially, completely, and utterly destroyed.

Gaara couldn't help but feel responsible for that.

And so he had made a point to come here, to the place where his own actions had been the final nail in the collective coffin that everyone in the village tried to avoid.

"...I once thought you insane, Uchiha Sasuke, to have accepted the proposal," Gaara whispered. "To willingly enter Sunagakure...to leave such a prosperous and wondrous village as this one...but if _this_ is where you spent your days...I believe I understand."

Gaara looked up at the sky, and judged that it was nearly time to meet his team.

He walked much faster than usual.

* * *

Naruto and Hinata sat back-to-back in the clearing where their teacher was to test them. They had received a slip of paper with the exact location upon reaching their homes, and they had shown up early because it seemed an intelligent decision. 

"'D your family say anything 'boutcha graduating?" Naruto posed as he waited for Kakashi and Gaara to make their respective appearances.

Hinata sighed. "Hanabi-chan congratulated me," she said, and Naruto wasn't all that surprised that that was the end of the list. He knew Hanabi, a little, and he thought she was a nice girl...which was a _lot_ more than he could say for any of the _other_ Hyuuga he had come across in his life (excluding Hinata, of course).

In his youth, he had just lumped them together with all the other villagers and shinobi who seemed to ignore him all the time. Upon meeting Hinata, however, he had come to realize that their perpetual cold shoulder was exhibited to _everyone_, not just himself.

"Hmmm...wonder where Gaara got himself to...? Ya'd think he'd have shown up early. He's always early."

"Maybe Gaara-kun is training."

"Well, if he was gonna train he should've come here, so we could help him."

Hinata couldn't come up with a reply to that. If he were training, doing it here _would_ have made more sense. If they were going to be tested today, it would have helped to train together.

"Yo, Hinata..."

"Yes, Naruto-kun?"

"I was trainin' last night, gettin' ready f' this...I came up with somethin'. I wanna see if it'll work. Wanna spar?"

"...Okay."

They both stood up.

* * *

Iruka was standing outside the academy as Gaara passed, and waved with a friendly smile. Gaara stopped and nodded. "Ohayou, Iruka-sensei." 

"Ohayou, Gaara," Iruka replied. "Off for your last test?"

"Yes. You know...Naruto wasn't pleased to find out there was another test after graduation."

Iruka chuckled. "I figured. If you guys pass, I'll take you out for lunch."

"He'll want Ichiraku. Hinata and I forced him to eat teriyaki yesterday in order to get _some_ vegetables into his system. He said he'll plot his revenge and get us when we least expect it."

"He actually ate something other than ramen? I'm surprised. How did you manage it?"

"Hinata can be...quite persuasive when she wants to be. And when I pointed out that a candidate for Hokage must be healthy in order to even be _considered_, he ate it."

Another chuckle. "You both certainly know how to work him. Well, you tell Naruto that I'll take you out for Ichiraku if you pass. See if Kakashi would like to go, too."

"I'll do that...by the way, Sensei...how poor _are_ you?"

"Hm?"

"Whenever you take Naruto out to lunch, he eats at _least_ four bowls, usually four_teen_...it must add up."

"Oh, it's no problem," Iruka assured. "They get so much business out of me because of Naruto, they give me a discount."

"Is that so...? Hm."

"When's your test?"

"Five."

"It's two minutes past five. You'd better get going."

Gaara's eyes widened. "It is...?"

"Get distracted on the way? You're a ways away from the training grounds that Kakashi likes to use for his tests."

"You...could say that."

"Well, off you go." Iruka waved again, wished him luck, and turned back to the academy.

Gaara closed his eyes and decided now was as good a time as any to test his newest technique.

* * *

Hinata gasped when she felt arms suddenly slip up under her arms and pin her in place while Naruto came up directly in front of her with his fist poised to strike. 

He stopped at the last second. The clone holding Hinata vanished in a puff of smoke, and Naruto put his hands behind his head and grinned. "Ha! It worked!"

"Well...if I'd...had my Byakugan activated...I would have seen it..." Hinata gasped out, regaining her breath.

"Ah, yeah, but Kakashi-sensei doesn't _have_ the Byakugan. I'm gonna use it on _him."_

"Naruto-kun...how do you know our test will be fighting?"

"What else could it be?"

Hinata could think of any number of things their commander had in mind, but she didn't want to deflate Naruto's obvious pleasure at having successfully pulled off his new move, so she remained silent.

She turned her eyes to the side as a slithering, snake-like line of sand approached her. It steadily grew in size and height, reforming itself into a human being.

Gaara slipped his hands into the pockets of his pants and looked around. "...Kakashi-sensei isn't here yet," he noted. "Seems I had nothing to be concerned about."

"Whoa...new move, Gaara?" Naruto asked.

"Yes. I've been working on it for a long while now."

"Cool...so you can transform _into_ sand now..."

"It's a bit more complicated than that," Gaara said, "but...I'm not entirely sure you'd understand the real way it works...so that will do."

"Tch...smart boy. Anyway, what took ya so long?"

Gaara shrugged, but Hinata thought she saw a somewhat haunted look in his eyes. And when something was bad enough to affect him, it had to have been _really_ bad.

"I was...sightseeing."

"Eh?" Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Where? We been _everywhere_ in Konoha! Ain't a_ rock_ we haven't looked under!"

"That...I will have to disagree with. There is...one place I hadn't seen. Until today."

"Seriously? What place? Some secret hideout 'r something?"

"Uh...no. More like...a graveyard."

And then she knew.

"The...the Uchiha District..."

Gaara nodded. "It was...unsettling."

"The Uchiha District?" Naruto repeated. "Why'd ya go_ there?_ Ain't it off-limits?"

"It is...but I felt obligated to go, nonetheless. Now...I nearly wish I hadn't. However, that is unimportant at the moment. The test was to start now, was it not?"

"Yeah," Naruto affirmed, "but Kakashi-sensei isn't here yet!"

Hinata wanted to ask just what Gaara had seen to upset him enough to give him such a look in his eyes, but she could sense that he didn't want to speak about it...not yet.

She wondered if it had reminded him of something he had seen while a part of the Hidden Sand.

Uchiha Itachi would have made a splendid sand-nin, she was certain.

The thought made her shiver.

"Late...again," Gaara noted, frowning. "Is this a habit of his? To test our patience as well as our skills?"

"Maybe," Hinata said.

"Sounds dumb," Naruto muttered. "How long's Iruka-sensei been tellin' me to always _be on time_, always be _punctual,_ and here's this guy bein' late on purpose? That isn't fair!"

"I'm sure he has his reasons," Gaara said. "For now, all we can do is wait. This is a test we have to pass."

Naruto let out a loud sigh, falling on his side and laying back, staring at the sky. "Eh...'s only five minutes 'r so...guess there's nothing to worry about..."

* * *

"Eh...'s only twenty minutes...no big deal."

* * *

"Forty-five minutes...okay, where is he?"

* * *

"Hour 'n fifteen minutes...seriously, this is getting stupid..."

* * *

"Two hours..."

* * *

"Two 'n a half..."

* * *

"What the hell! _Three hours!"_

_

* * *

_

"...Mmmmm...ramen...lots of ramen...with pineapples! Er...no, wait...h-huh! Ah! What the--Oh. Hi. Uh...nah, nah...I wasn't sleeping, Hinata! I was..._what!_ It's _ten_ already! Jeez!"

* * *

Naruto had just managed to balance four kunai and a shuriken atop each other on his chin when Hinata announced that she could see Kakashi coming. Surprised, the blonde lost his balance and fell on his back, the bladed instruments landing squarely on his face. 

"Ow! Stupid shuriken! You betrayed me!"

Wiping a spot of blood from his face, Naruto replaced the weapons and stood up, glaring heatedly at the silver-haired jounin who came sauntering up to them.

"Well, well...good morning, all," Kakashi said, as if nothing at all was amiss.

_"You're late!"_ Naruto snarled, pointing an accusatory finger at his commander. "It's almost noon, damn it!"

"Ah, well..." Kakashi put a hand behind his head and pointed with the other back the way he had come. "See, a black cat crossed my path, so I had to..."

Even good-natured, tranquil Hinata was glaring at him.

"Uh..." The jounin cleared his throat. "Never mind. Let's move on, shall we?"

Kakashi lowered the bag he had slung over one shoulder and opened it, removing a small alarm clock. Setting it on a stump, he pressed a button atop it with the palm of his hand. "All right! Alarm set for 12 noon."

"What! Don't tell me we were s'posed to have seven _hours_ for this stupid test! Now all we got is fifty _stupid_ minutes!" Naruto shouted.

"Naruto...calm down. We need to listen to this."

Naruto's heated eyes cooled somewhat, and he settled for crossing his arms and pouting. "Stupid late sensei...black cat...I'll show_ him_ a black cat...shove a _stupid_ black cat right up his--"

"Naruto-kun!"

_"Fine,_ fine! I'm listening!"

Kakashi cleared his throat again, probably for effect more than anything else. "Now...today's test is very simple. But pay close attention, because I'll only explain it once."

Naruto puffed air out of the side of his mouth. "Yeah, yeah...we get the deal," he muttered under his breath.

Kakashi lifted two small bells, hanging by red string, between the thumb and index finger of his right hand. "Your task this morning is to get these bells from me. Simple, huh?"

"That's_ it?"_ Naruto asked incredulously.

"Yep," Kakashi answered pleasantly. "That's it. Get yourself a bell before noon, and you pass. However..." Here his voice became low and dangerous. "...If you_ fail _to do that...you won't be eating any lunch."

Only Gaara didn't seem worried by this development.

Kakashi pointed to three stout wooden posts in the middle of the clearing. "If you don't get a bell, you'll be tied to one of those posts over there. And I'll eat _my_ lunch in front of you."

"You lied..." Gaara noted. "You told us we would vomit if we ate breakfast...but the only reason you did that was to make this test more difficult."

"Thinking aloud for your team's sake, Gaara?" Kakashi asked with a chuckle. "How cute. Well, anyway, I'm sure we understand each other now. So...when I say go..."

"B-B-But..." Hinata interjected, "Sensei...you only have two bells! That means...at best, only_ two_ of us will pass the test!"

"That's right," Kakashi said. "Whichever one of you doesn't get a bell will be the first to fail...and head back to the academy until next year. But remember...all_ three_ of you might end up empty-handed. This will be especially probable...if you don't aim to kill me. So be certain to use _everything_ at your disposal. Aim...to take them from my corpse."

Gaara's eyes narrowed.

"Hey, hey, _hey!_" Naruto shouted. "What's this garbage! Whaddaya _mean _one of us's gonna fail! That's not fair!"

"Fair...? Hardly. But it's _my_ test and that means _my_ rules."

The look in the blonde's eyes was dangerous. "Why you little...! I'm _tired_ of you jerking us around! You 'n yer '_you aren't genin yet_' and yer '_I decide if you're qualified_' and all this...this..._bullshit!"_

Before either of his teammates could interject, Naruto had a kunai in hand and had leapt forward, fully intent on slicing Kakashi's face off. His eyes blazed with indignant anger, and even Hinata, who couldn't think of a single time when Naruto had scared her, found herself nervous.

Naruto's attack met nothing but air.

It happened so fast that none of the genin had any idea just what had happened until several seconds later.

Kakashi had Naruto's hand behind his head, the point of his blade aimed at his spine. That same nondescript, bored expression that he'd had since the day before was on the masked jounin's face.

"Well, well..." Kakashi murmured. "Aren't _you_ the feisty one...? I didn't even say _go_ yet."

Hinata gasped.

Naruto strained against the hand holding him in place.

"But..." the man continued, glancing up at the sky, "at least you struck to kill. Seems you're beginning to respect me. That's a good sign. I think we might just be getting somewhere."

Kakashi looked back down at his students. "Now..." He let go of Naruto and let him stumble back in between his friends. "...Ready...set...go!"

The three genin were gone.

* * *

Naruto had learned years ago, from Gaara assisting him with his numerous tricks, to watch for sand. More importantly, _moving_ sand. It was the red-haired boy's way of speaking without speaking. 

And so he didn't miss the message Gaara sent him when Kakashi had been looking upward, away from them.

_Come with me._

As soon as their commander had looked back at them, the message vanished, but it was enough. Naruto scrapped his original plan to just run right up and smack the upstart elite shinobi across the head and take a bell from his unconscious body and followed Gaara into hiding instead.

As much as he wanted the satisfaction of feeling his fist connect with that eye, he knew that his friend had a plan, and another thing he'd learned over years of delinquency was to trust Gaara's plans.

The three of them were huddled together in the midst of a pile of bushes, a far,_ far _distance from their target. It wouldn't do for the jounin to hear.

"Okay...good. You both got the message."

Naruto nodded. "So what's up?"

"This is a problem..." Gaara muttered. He looked from Naruto to Hinata, then sighed and looked down at the ground. "Two bells, three of us. One of us will fail."

"And after all this..." Hinata whispered sadly.

"This isn't fair!" Naruto snarled angrily between clenched teeth.

"No...it's not. But I think I know what this is supposed to do."

"Huh?"

Gray and blue eyes regarded him intently.

"One of my shinobi instructors in the Sand had a son...and that son had two dogs. My instructor made the two of us watch as he tossed a haunch of meat in front of them both.

"The dogs, usually comrades, turned on each other because they had been starved for over a week...simply for the sake of this demonstration. They fought each other...because there wasn't enough for both of them."

Gaara looked up. "I doubt the moral of this test is the same as that demonstration, but the principle is the same. My instructor told me that even the best of friends will turn on you if they want something bad enough...and you aim to take it from them. What he meant by that was that you should never trust anyone...I don't think Kakashi-sensei is doing this."

"So...what is he doing?" Naruto asked.

"He's _testing _us. Seeing what we will do under pressure. But we have to remember one thing, above all else, regardless of anything he says."

Gaara watched both of his teammates intently. "We...are not starving dogs. We are shinobi. And we are a team."

Naruto nodded. "Damn right!"

Hinata smiled.

Gaara nodded as well, but his face wasn't nearly as pleasant as the other two. "But...that still leaves us with a problem. We may be able to get the bells if we work together...but there are still only two of them."

Of course...there was still that.

"I..." Hinata whispered, eyes downcast. "I...I think...you should have them."

"What?" Naruto hissed.

"Hinata..."

"Naruto-kun...Gaara-kun...you're ready. You need this. A...lot more than I do. You've worked so _hard_...I don't want to see you fail. You take the bells. I'll...go back to the academy. Next year...we can see if...if..."

Gaara sighed heavily, lowering his head. "Hinata...are you certain?"

"Yes...I am. I'll help you do this however I can...even if it means going back."

Naruto sighed as well. He closed his eyes. "Hinata...you..."

He couldn't finish the thought.

An uncomfortable silence followed.

"Hinata...can you see him?"

Gaara's question seemed odd, and Naruto's eyes snapped up to regard his friend in surprise. That was it?_ That _was what he had to say?

But one look at the boy's eyes...and Naruto realized how hard it was for him to say it.

Hinata activated her bloodline limit and looked around. "He's...still standing by the clock. Waiting for us."

"So...we have the clearing, those posts, the stump with the clock on it...and the river." Gaara nodded. "Okay. That's good enough. This is what I think we should do...Naruto, you go at him first. Pretend you simply want a match with him; don't let him know we're involved."

"...Okay."

"Hinata, you come in next. Use Jyuuken. He'll have to take special care not to be struck by your hands...even a jounin will fall to that style if he is not careful. He'll likely have his attention focused on you. Then...I will use the water as cover."

"You're gonna use your new jutsu?" Naruto asked.

"Yes. And after that..."

* * *

Naruto flew out of the bushes with a scream of anger. Kakashi, of course, heard him coming, but that was what he'd planned on. He made a show of being surprised when his strike didn't connect. 

"Crap! You saw me!"

"No...I_ heard_ you," Kakashi corrected.

"Well, whatever! I'm no good at this sneaky stuff! Let's have a match, you and me! Man to man! Like _real _warriors!"

"You're...a strange one, aren't you?"

"The only thing strange's your _hairstyle!"_ Naruto cried, jumping back to gain some distance. "Get ready, Sensei, 'cuz this is it!"

He ran forward.

Kakashi seemed undisturbed. "Taijutsu...the backbone of any shinobi's strength...I'll teach you that first."

Naruto stopped, waiting, as Kakashi slipped a hand into a pouch at his belt. "What the...?" he whispered. "Taijutsu is hand-to-hand! What's he goin' for a weapon for!"

But...it wasn't a weapon.

Flipping the book open, Kakashi started reading.

Naruto's body went limp. "What the f--"

"What's wrong, Naruto?" Kakashi asked. "I thought _this was it. _Come on."

"But...but...what's the stupid _book_ for!"

"Eh? For _reading_. I want to see how the story develops. Don't worry; it won't matter if I read this. It makes no difference."

_Stick to the plan...stick to the plan, stick to the plan...don't let this one-eyed asshole get to ya...stick to the...!_

"Why, you son of a...!"

Naruto shot forward and threw a punch.

Kakashi lifted his free hand and blocked Naruto's fist as if it were a housefly without even looking away from his novel. Hopping back, Naruto spun around in a roundhouse kick aimed at his head.

Kakashi dropped into a crouch, still reading that stupid little...!

He balled up his fist again.

Kakashi wasn't there.

Arm outstretched, fist still clenched, Naruto blinked. "Uh...what the...where'd he...?"

"Letting the enemy see your back is bad form...Naruto."

Naruto stiffened.

* * *

"Was there...something you wanted to see me about, Iruka? Surely this wasn't just an invitation to tea." 

Iruka drew a deep breath. "No, Hokage-sama...I just wanted to know something."

Sandaime lifted an eyebrow. "And that is...?"

"What...kind of teacher is Kakashi? What are their chances with him?"

"Concerned for your students, hm?"

"Well...it's just that they've worked so hard...I wanted to know just what sort of test Kakashi would put them through. Is he...harsh?"

The elderly ninja leaned back in his chair. "Well, as you yourself has said, this is their career now. They need a commander that will be fair. Above all others, I trust Kakashi not to coddle them."

"There's a difference between fairness and harshness," Iruka said. "Just look at Hyuuga Hiashi."

"That is true," Sandaime said, "but if I know Kakashi...he will end up using the same test given to him when _he_ was a genin by _his_ jounin commander."

"Hm? Oh, yes, of course. Of course Kakashi went through this...but you know," Iruka chuckled, "it's kind of hard imagining _Hatake Kakashi_ as a genin. He's been a jounin ever since the first time I saw him."

"Yes, he was a genin at some point. And the test Kakashi is likely conducting is the same test my successor used with Kakashi."

"Your...successor. _Yondaime-sama_ was Kakashi's...?"

"Yes. And the Fourth was trained by Jiraiya, one of my _own_ students...he used the same test. As did I. And my own instructor. It is a very effective exercise."

"Really...and...what kind of chance do they have of passing?"

"Here," Sandaime said, handing Iruka a small book. "This is a list of all the academy graduates Kakashi has tested."

Iruka took the slim volume from his leader and nodded. "Thank you."

He opened the book and began to scan the names.

Iruka stiffened.

* * *

Hinata, poised to make her move as soon as she found an opening, watched in horror as Kakashi appeared behind Naruto's back. She almost didn't believe what she was seeing. 

_He's...he's...planning on using ninjutsu on him?_

There was no mistake.

Kakashi's hands were joined together in the seal of the tiger.

She wanted to call out to him, to warn him, but she didn't have a chance.

"Konohagakure's secret taijutsu master art!" Kakashi growled.

It..._wasn't_ ninjutsu.

_"One Thousand Years of Pain!"_

Naruto flew upward and toward the river, screaming in surprise and pain as he grabbed at the back of his pants.

Hinata was dumbfounded, a blush forming on her cheeks.

_Did...did Kakashi-sensei just...stick his fingers up...?_

She shook her head vigorously. _No, Hinata! Focus! Don't think of that!_

She continued to watch.

A pair of shuriken flew up from the water where Naruto had made his not-so-graceful landing, but Kakashi - now reading his book yet again - barely even moved to catch the projectiles on two fingers.

The jounin chuckled, but Hinata couldn't tell if it was because of what he had just read or if he was mocking his student.

His back was to her.

..This was it. Her chance.

* * *

"This...this is...!" 

Iruka's eyes widened as he flipped through the book for the third time. "This is worse than what the _rumors _about him say! I'd heard Kakashi was harsh, but...!"

"Kakashi's expectations _are _a bit higher than several of his peers..." Sandaime allowed.

"But...but..._zero? None_ of them passed?"

"No...he's never passed a person. None of the genin sent his way have ever been prepared, in his view, to become ninja. As it turned out...he was right more often than not."

Iruka stared, disbelieving, at the text in his hand.

"But...who knows? Those three have surprised us all on any number of occasions...perhaps they will surprise _him_ as well."

* * *

Her first strike was aimed directly for his stomach, but his arm came up and knocked her hand away. 

The jounin moved with such speed that she thought it must be a genjutsu of some sort. For every step she took, he was three steps ahead, and no matter what she tried, no matter where she aimed, no matter what series of strikes she implemented, he didn't let her gain a single advantage.

But she knew that was not what she was supposed to do. She was supposed to distract him. And given that his single eye was on her rather than his book, and he had yet to speak a single word, she judged that she was doing just that.

Since her Byakugan was activated, she saw Naruto make his move from the water, and she saw Gaara's sand moving up the rocks. Leaping back to avoid getting caught in the crossfire, she struggled to regain her breath.

Jyuuken took a lot of her energy.

"I see you there, Naruto," Kakashi said. "It was a nice attempt...but you're too loud, as usual."

Naruto made no response.

He continued to run toward their commander.

Gaara's sand began to move again.

"You'll pay for that dirty trick, you old bastard!" Naruto snarled, leaping into the air.

"Oh...is that r--"

* * *

Since Gaara had been underwater already, he had been able to form a message for Naruto as soon as the blonde had landed. 

_While Hinata is attacking him, send a kage bunshin around to get him from behind. Then attack from the front. Make sure he sees you._

Gaara's mind worked so quickly it was scary sometimes.

He did as his teammate (and self-appointed leader; not that he minded) suggested, and sent a clone running out in a wide arc to get at Kakashi from the back. Then he leapt up from the water, making as much noise as possible, and rushed forward.

"You'll pay for that dirty trick, you old bastard!" he growled, but it was only a front. The plan was to get a bell at the first available opportunity.

But Kakashi probably didn't _know _he was faking.

Naruto was known for being loud and hotheaded, after all.

"Oh?" Kakashi asked, bored as usual. "Is that r--"

At that moment, Naruto's clone grabbed Kakashi from behind, in the same move he had used against Hinata that morning. The look of surprise on Kakashi's face was very, _very_ satisfying.

"Letting the enemy see your back is bad form...Sensei."

Naruto leapt into the air. "I'll be nice! Just one punch!"

Gaara made his move.

So did the clone.

* * *

Kakashi leapt to the side, easily slipping out of the clone's grip, and smiled beneath his mask when Naruto punched his own image directly in the face. 

His smile vanished when he saw a bell fall from the smoke caused by the attack.

The clone was gone...but not before it had done its work.

Naruto scooped up the bell and jumped up, grinning widely. "Ha!"

And then...

The pile of sand to Naruto's side reshaped itself into Gaara, holding the second bell in his hand.

The sand had shot forward with enough speed to break the string...and Kakashi actually looked down at his belt, where the bells had been tied only moments before.

He looked up at his three new students and gaped.

They...they had done it.

* * *

"...Mission accomplished, Kakashi-sensei," Gaara said. 

"And with plenty o' time to spare!" Naruto shouted, his grin widening.

Hinata said nothing. But she was smiling.

The plan had worked. She had done her part, and it had worked.

"...Hyuuga Hinata," Kakashi said after several seconds of silence. "You know what this means. The bells are gone, and you are empty-handed."

"I...I know, Sensei," Hinata said, bowing her head.

"Very well."

* * *

Naruto knew she was hungry, but she said nothing. She simply sat there, a small smile on her face, as her teammates ate. 

"For failing to procure a bell," Kakashi had said, "you will sit here as your teammates eat. Naruto, Gaara, you have done well. But if you feed her,_ you_ will fail as well. Those are my rules, and you will follow them. Do you understand?"

They had made no response.

He had left them alone.

Neither Naruto nor Gaara felt a particular desire to eat, but they did anyway. They ate slowly, without talking, both thinking about what had just happened.

They had the bells...but what did it mean now?

"This is like graduation..." Gaara muttered.

"Huh?" Naruto looked up.

"...When Hinata and I passed...but you didn't. I...felt no accomplishment. We are a team. We've always been a team, official or no. Since you both have come into my life, I have learned acceptance..."

Gaara lifted his bell. "Is _this_ thing worth throwing dirt onto the face of that? Is _this_ what being a shinobi means...? To sacrifice a teammate simply to carry out the mission, even when that sacrifice is unnecessary?"

Naruto looked down at his own bell. "...You're right."

Hinata looked at them. "Naruto-kun...Gaara-kun..."

"Thank you, Hinata...you put us above yourself...but I can't accept that," Gaara said softly. Lifting a morsel of food with his chopsticks, he held it up to her mouth. "Here."

"G-Gaara-kun! You'll fail!"

"I don't care."

Naruto breathed deeply. "...Take it, Hinata."

Frowning, clearly not wanting to, she took the bite offered her.

The sky suddenly seemed to darken.

Wind like a tornado suddenly assaulted the three genin, and a flare of smoke blinded them for a moment. When the smoke cleared, the wind hadn't abated a bit, and Kakashi stood there, an enraged look on his face that shook Hinata to her core.

_"You!"_ he yelled, rearing up like a dragon poised to cast forth its massive flame upon a helpless village._ "You blatantly disobeyed a direct order! What do you have to say for yourselves!"_

Gaara's eyes never wavered. He held out his hand and dropped his bell on the ground. "...I won't dance to your tune."

Naruto tossed his bell at Kakashi's feet. "Screw your bells _and_ your rules! We're a team, damn it!"

Gaara stood. "If passing your exam means our squad will break before it has even been given a chance to form...then I will fail. I would rather spend eternity in the academy, alongside Hinata, than spend the life of a shinobi without her."

"Damn straight!" Naruto growled. "Hinata's our friend, and we aren't gonna let her go back alone! Not for _you_ and not for anyone else!"

Kakashi's glare didn't soften. "...Is that so...? You think you can just _drop_ this mission?"

"We don't _think _we _can,_ jerk!" Naruto snapped. "We _are! _What're_ you _gonna do about it!"

Hinata's lower lip quavered. "Naruto-kun...Gaara-kun..."

A tear fell down her face.

And then...

Kakashi laughed.

"You pass!"

All tension vanished in confusion.

"Huh?" Naruto asked.

"W-W-What...?"

Kakashi crossed his arms and grinned beneath his masks. "...I must say, you three...you're impressive. You're the first squad to get it. From the beginning, you understood, without me having to say a word."

"...We understood...?" Gaara repeated.

"The reason we place genin into three-man squads is because of one simple principle, the guiding principle of every mission any shinobi ever faces."

Naruto leaned forward.

"...Teamwork."

The jounin chuckled again. "Iruka told me you worked well together...he was right. You understood that there was no way to get the bells on your own. As skilled as you are, you're still barely ninja. And so, even though there were only two bells, you teamed up and came at me. Hinata, you didn't think of yourself; you sacrificed your passing grade in order to accomplish the mission and let your friends succeed. And you, Gaara and Naruto, refused to let my rule stand in the way of helping her."

The hidden smile widened. "In the shinobi world, those who disobey the rules are called trash. But...those who would abandon their friends are worse than trash."

The three faces looking up at him were completely blank. Naruto's mouth was agape, Hinata's eyes were wide, and Gaara...well, Gaara had no expression to speak of on his face.

"You three understood everything. And for that...you all pass. Squad Seven begins its official missions tomorrow!"

"Oh, _awesome!"_ Naruto cried. "Kick _ass!"_

Gaara chuckled as he untied Hinata from the post. "Well then...let's go, shall we? Iruka-sensei offered to buy us all lunch if we passed."

_"YEAH!"_

Hinata looked vastly relieved.

"He also said to extend the offer to you, Kakashi-sensei."

"Is that so...?" Kakashi said. "Well, I suppose I can't _refuse_. It would be rude of me."

As they all made their way to Ichiraku Ramen, Naruto slung his arms around his friends' shoulders.

They were a team.

Damn straight!

* * *

_Remember when I said that there were three scenes that made me want to write this story? The first was the kickball scene, the second the ointment scene? Well...here's the third. What'd ya think?_

_Regarding Yondaime-sama's name...the reason I called him Uzumaki Arashi is because I've always been a firm believer that he is Naruto's father. And I'm pretty sure there's one episode of the anime that shows a portrait of him, and the name plaque beneath said portrait reads "Uzumaki." I can't remember the episode, so I can't give that information...but it was just an assumption._

_If it turns out Arashi-sama's family name really is something else (because let's face it; this is _all_ speculation), I'm fine with that. For now, though, I'll continue thinking of him as Uzumaki Arashi. _

_And speaking of Yondaime, I'm currently in the process of writing up another Naruto story, one that involves Team Kakashi (the real Squad 7, with Sasuke and Sakura) and Team Yellow Flash (Yondaime, Kakashi, Obito, and Rin). Keep a look out for it if you find yourself intrigued. I think it'll turn out to be a good one. I have a few...interesting plot points already figured out._

_Hope you had fun with this one. I know I did. _


	17. 2, 6: Official Beginnings

"Uh...look, I don't mean nuttin' by this, but...you _do _know you're completely nuts, right?"

Gaara didn't turn to look at Naruto, but continued to scout ahead, thread-thin tendrils of sand snaking through the compound. Eyes closed, hands held up in the seal of the ram, he breathed deeply and easily.

Naruto groaned, looking around with fear painted on his face.

As a veteran prankster, Naruto knew there were certain places you just _didn't _sneak into, for _any _reason.

And this red-headed rookie had just brought them to The Place, the single place where sneaking it would not only _possibly _get you killed, but _probably._

The Hyuuga Compound was _off-limits._

"Why are we even _doing _this again?"

"Kakashi-sensei and Hinata are currently speaking to Hyuuga Hiashi about her becoming a shinobi under his command...and I intend to know how the conversation goes."

"Huh? Why do they hafta talk to Hinata's old man? Everything was decided yesterday!"

"She's the heiress to our village's oldest noble clan," Gaara murmured, "and it may be that Hiashi won't want her taking on dangerous missions."

"Huh! What the hell's _that _about--"

"Naruto! Quiet! Do you _want _us to be found?"

Grumbling to himself, Naruto suddenly didn't find himself as against this little stunt as he had been. It was, after all, probably the only way they'd ever even have a chance to _see _the Hyuuga patriarch. Hiashi had little love for the village's youth, and especially despised Gaara and Naruto, likely because of their...special condition.

"He doesn't trust us," Gaara had said once. "He probably believes we will lose control of the demons within us and endanger the entire village."

"So he treats us like trash? Why? To make us hate him so we'll go after _him _if we lose control? Seriously, I'm startin' to think this whole village is filled with morons."

As much as Gaara agreed with the sentiment, he had found it ironic that _Naruto _of all people was calling his fellow villagers "morons." Sure, he loved Naruto like a brother...but even _he _admitted that Naruto's mind wasn't his strong point.

Perhaps Hinata wouldn't admit to that, but she was the only one.

"It's clear," Gaara said. "Let's go."

"Gotcha!"

* * *

Hinata stood to the side of the door, Kakashi a few steps within it. Naruto was leaning against a wall, Gaara on the roof. Gaara had a feeling that Kakashi knew they were there, and perhaps Hinata did, too. Probably even Hiashi, who was probably inside, knew.

It was never a good idea to underestimate a jounin.

Still, he was determined to find out just what Hiashi said, and he didn't trust Hinata to tell them _all _of it. She was protective of her father's image, and Gaara had had a feeling that she was afraid of saying anything bad about him.

"...Sure about this, Hiashi?" Kakashi was asking. "Before we begin our first mission, I must have your expressed permission, as dictated by the laws of your house. Hinata is next in line for your position as head of the clan, so..."

"Do what you want with her," Hiashi's voice came out cold and harsh, and Hinata flinched. Gaara's eyes narrowed. He didn't need to look at Naruto to know he was on edge.

"So...I've your permission, then, to take her on as my subordinate."

"The only _reason _she is your subordinate is because it was deemed that Hinata was a waste to the clan, unworthy of personal training. She cannot even reach the level of Hanabi, five years her junior. Hinata is hardly my concern. Do what you will."

Hinata's eyes were wet, and she was shaking. A sob wrenched its way out of her throat, and Gaara waited for Naruto's inevitable outburst.

For once, though, he didn't scream.

He simply stepped out from his hiding place and approached Hinata's quivering form. He put a hand on her shoulder, and she jumped, clearly not realizing that he had even been there.

Gaara jumped down from his perch. Hinata stared at her teammates and wiped the tears from her face. "N-Naruto-kun! Gaara-kun!"

"Ignore him, Hinata," Gaara said flatly. "A man so blinded by his own arrogance that he cannot see the strength in you is unworthy of your attention."

"'S right," Naruto said with his trademark grin. "He's just a jerk. We'll show 'im."

Kakashi glanced at his students. "...You do realize you're trespassing."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever."

Hiashi stepped outside, his light gray eyes blazing. Hanabi stood behind him. "What are _you _doing here!"

"Cram it, old man," Naruto said with a pleasant smile. "Hiya, Hanabi!"

Surprised, the young Hyuuga raised a hand reflexively. "H-H-Hello, Naruto-san."

"I suppose I should not have been surprised..." Gaara murmured. "Favoritism among nobles...well, Hiashi-sama, it seems you value strength of body far more than strength of character _or _strength of mind, else you would not consider your eldest child such a waste. A most admirable father, you are."

"Yeah..." Naruto muttered. "Great guy. We should have coffee sometime."

"I'll not have you insulting me in _my _home, you--"

"Monster?" Gaara posed, eyes widening slightly. "Beast? Demon? Perhaps you should worry more about how you insult yourself, rather than me."

Naruto clapped Hinata on the back. "C'mon, Hinata. Let's get outta here."

Gaara, after a nod and slight smile directed at Hanabi (partly because he liked the younger Hyuuga, partly to annoy the elder) turned and the three genin left.

Kakashi sighed. "...It seems I need to teach those two a lesson about _tact_," he muttered. Inclining his head slightly, he turned to follow his soldiers. "By your leave, then, Hiashi. Your daughter's training is now in my hands."

Hiashi scowled. "...Keep those brats under control, Kakashi."

"But of course," the jounin said, in a tone that sounded quite similar to the one Naruto had used. "Don't worry, Hiashi. I have everything under control."

Hiashi sniffed derisively and turned. "Come, Hanabi," he said.

Hanabi bowed slightly to her sister's teacher. "Goodbye, Kakashi-sama."

Kakashi smiled beneath his mask. "Goodbye, Hanabi. And goodbye to _you_, Hiashi. Have a nice day."

The look on the Hyuuga patriarch's face said that he knew Kakashi was mocking him, but he also knew not to pick a fight.

He acted lazy and foolish on occasion...but in the end that was just as much a covering of his true nature as the mask he wore. Those who took him at face value were often surprised.

...Greatly surprised.

Just as _he _had been surprised when _Naruto _of all people had been one of the first two genin to _pass _his bell test. He had a feeling Gaara had been the mastermind behind the operation, but even so...he had to give Naruto credit for having listened to the other boy.

As he turned away and started walking off toward the Hokage's office where his students would receive their first assignment, he chuckled. Naruto certainly was an interesting character. He and Gaara both.

Though he had said nothing, he was secretly proud of his blonde-headed subordinate for having stood up to Hiashi. Not many would have had the courage to tell the patriarch of the village's oldest noble family to "cram it," after all.

And for Gaara to not only criticize the man, but to be condescending about it...he couldn't have done it better himself.

They both had risked Hiashi's ire to come to their friend's defense. And Kakashi had a feeling that that would have a decidedly positive effect on the dark-haired, white-eyed kunoichi.

Magnificent, Iruka had said.

Kakashi found himself agreeing.

He chuckled.

"This...is going to be fun."

* * *

Naruto had been a nemesis to the village of Konoha for years, and not because of the fox demon he had only just come to realize was within him...but on his own merit.

From tripwires to coffee cans to cake batter (actually, those three things had been used in a singular incident...Iruka had _not _liked it), Naruto had been nothing if not random in his pranks. Random, nondiscriminatory, and some might have said completely brilliant...as long as they weren't on the receiving end of it.

One of the things Naruto had loved about his jokes were the looks of complete and utter shock on the victims' faces. That gawk of indignant, disbelieving anger tinged with confusion and a dash of fear.

This day, none other than Sandaime had the distinct pleasure of seeing that same expression plastered on Naruto's face after telling him that his first mission as a shinobi was to pick up litter.

...Unfortunately for Naruto (and infinitely more amusing for Sandaime), this wasn't a prank.

"The mission will be carried out immediately, Hokage-sama," Kakashi assured with a bow, as if it were _vital _to the village's survival.

"Naruto-kun..." Hinata warned quietly before Naruto could launch into a ten-minute rant, "...if we don't do _this _mission well, he won't trust us with the dangerous ones."

"Konoha is the only hidden village prosperous enough to _allow _its genin to take on missions like this," Gaara added. "We should take advantage of this chance to hone our skills before they're actually _needed_."

Sandaime nodded with a smile. "Exactly. I have to be sure you're able to handle simple missions like this so that I can send you on tougher ones. So do well, you three. I'll be waiting for your report."

Gaara and Hinata nodded, and Naruto simply shrugged.

"...Fine. I _guess _that makes sense..."

"Very good. You're dismissed, Squad Seven."

* * *

It was only about twenty minutes into the mission when Hinata couldn't stand the look on Naruto's face anymore and confided in Gaara to find a way to cheer him up.

Gaara frowned thoughtfully at her suggestion, then nodded slightly. "That's a good idea. We'll be done faster, too."

Hinata smiled.

"Oi, Naruto," Gaara called, and the blonde turned around, raising an eyebrow.

"Huh?"

"I've a proposition for you."

"Hm?"

"We have to pass through the entire village before we're done, and we'll never get finished at this pace. So let's do this. I will move to the northern edge of the village, you go to the southwest, Hinata to the southeast."

Naruto frowned. "Uh...okay?"

Gaara, using thin lines of sand, drew the perimeter of the village and split it into thirds (excluding the Uchiha District, for obvious reasons) to better explain his idea. "Each of us will be in charge of a section. We will meet here at this center point when we are finished. The last one to show up will buy dinner for the entire squad."

Blue eyes gleamed, and Naruto smirked.

"Shall we begin?"

Cracking his knuckles, Naruto chuckled darkly. "Heh...let's do this."

The three sped off to begin the contest.

Kakashi, who had been walking behind his students, looked up from his book and chuckled. "Hmmm...working together, and yet _not _working together. Interesting."

It seemed like the more time he spent with these three kids, the more fun it turned out to be. He should have known that a squad formed of three close friends would turn out well.

No...not just close. _Close _friends had the potential to become fed up with each other.

Three _best _friends.

Friends with eerily similar backgrounds, friends who got along perfectly. Friends who fully and completely understood each other.

"Hokage-sama..." he muttered as he gazed up at the familiar monument. "You...are a genius."

* * *

Each of the members of Squad Seven had a distinct advantage when it came to picking up litter. Naruto had his _kage bunshin, _which he utilized to its full extent, sending a regiment of clones out in each direction throughout his section of the village.

Naruto grinned when he realized that he really didn't have to do much of anything. He just sauntered through the streets, watching his clones work, chuckling to himself as he wondered what he would have for dinner...miso? Pork? Chicken? Hmmm...

Gaara, utilizing a similar tactic, simply sent sand out to find his quarry, standing atop a roof and walking slowly and methodically throughout his section. The villagers who noticed simply shrugged; they'd gotten used to seeing sand moving around, and since Gaara had proven that he had stopped his delinquent behavior, they didn't mind it. Some of the villagers who saw him waved, some nodded, but a majority of them simply pretended he wasn't there.

He was used to that. And whenever he felt slightly upset about that, all he had to remember was that his best friend had to deal not only with indifference but scorn.

Gaara was the lucky one; very few of the villagers knew about the demon inside _him_: Hyuuga Hiashi, Iruka, Kakashi, Sandaime, and a couple others.

He couldn't help but feel a bit angry at the people who smiled at him but scowled at Naruto, who greeted him nicely and cursed Naruto in the same breath, who waved at him and pretended Naruto didn't exist.

He closed his eyes and ignored his surroundings.

Hinata, unlike her teammates, didn't have a time-saving jutsu to use. She did, however, have the advantage of making certain she never missed anything through the use of her bloodline limit. True, her Byakugan wasn't as advanced as others in her family, but it was good enough to work.

And that was why Naruto ended up buying dinner instead of Hinata, even though she was the last one to show up. Kakashi pointed out that Naruto had missed quite a few things.

"Hey! What if that stuff showed up _after _I finished? Maybe the villagers did it _after!"_

Kakashi shrugged. "Sorry, Naruto. Not true. I watched you all. Still...you did well enough. I consider the mission a success. I'll hand in my report tomorrow morning. You'll get your payment then."

"Oh, yeah..." Naruto said with a chuckle. "We get paid for this! I forgot!"

"Good thing, too," Gaara said, "because you lost."

"Yeah, yeah...you're gonna make me go to that _other _place, huh?"

Both winners nodded.

"Crap!"

"You said you liked the teriyaki last time, Naruto-kun," Hinata said.

"Yeah...'s okay...I _guess..._"

"Fair is fair, Naruto," Gaara said. "You agreed to this."

"Fine, fine, whatever. Let's just go, huh? I'm hungry."

* * *

He was swift and silent as he made his way through the throng of people crowding the streets. He paid no heed to the villagers or his fellow shinobi. His mind was occupied, and no one bothered to greet him anyway.

He liked it that way. A ninja should have as few personal ties as possible, he had been taught. A ninja was a weapon, and a weapon should be impartial to any hand that would reach out to hold it. A ninja's only concern was his mission; whatever the task may be, it was all he should worry about.

Most of the hidden villages thought this way. Just as Konoha was the only village prosperous enough to allow its genin to test the water, so to speak, with simple missions, it was also the only village prosperous enough to hold to a belief of brotherhood and unity. Only Konoha taught its shinobi to love the village and its people; the other villages taught their shinobi to love their job...if they loved anything at all.

Love was a dangerous emotion.

He could attest to that. Love could blind. Admiration clouded judgment. Adoration crushed doubt. He knew this, knew it was dangerous, and so strained to keep it as far from his person as possible.

The last time he had loved...he had been betrayed.

The last time he had loved, he had been left alone.

Uchiha Sasuke didn't believe in love.

He couldn't afford to.

Not anymore.

When he reached his bedroom, he sighed and sat down, allowing himself to lower his guard as he regained his breath. He was a genin, a rookie, and his first mission had been an assassination.

He was tired.

He was relatively unaffected by the fact that he had just ended a life not hours before; the man had been a criminal, a murderer, and Sasuke hated men like that.

He had loved a man like that.

Eyes narrowing, the young sand-nin glared up at the ceiling. "Even now...you haunt me. After so many years, you still stain my thoughts. What must I do to rid myself of you? Will it only end when you die?"

"Talking to yourself again, Sasuke?"

Not letting himself show his surprise, the young Uchiha turned his gaze to the door to see the blonde woman standing there, one arm resting on her giant fan.

"Temari."

"Hear you went on your first mission, kid. How's it feel?"

"...It felt like a mission."

Temari frowned. "Wow. How thought-provoking. Jeez, kid, don't strain yourself so much thinking of an answer."

"It was a mission. That's all. Your father has taught me to ignore my emotions. A weapon has no emotions. I am simply following his order."

Crossing her arms, the young kunoichi rolled her eyes. "Well, aren't _you _a treat...? And here I thought being on the same squad as you would be interesting. Speaking of which, why'd you go on that assassination by yourself?"

"A test, Baki told me."

"Test, huh...? Well, seems you passed. I'm sure Kankurou will be _thrilled. _He doesn't like you much, you know."

"I know...I don't care."

He couldn't afford to care.

Of course, Temari didn't know her young teammate's past. She didn't know that he had to be distant. Distance was the only balm he had.

"You know...the chuunin exam's being held in Konoha this year."

"Oh?" Sasuke raised an eyebrow, finally mildly interested.

"Yep. Pretty soon, too. Couple months, I think. Don't know the exact date. But, uh...yeah. So you'll be having a little homecoming in a while."

"Hm."

"I hear Gaara -- you remember him, I'm sure -- is shaping up to be quite the ninja. Top of the class, like you. I'm sure Otousama will want you to fight him in the exam."

Sasuke sat up straight. "Is that right...? Hmmm..."

A chance to test his skills...a chance to see if his training had done him any good. A flame of anticipation lit in his eyes, a feeling of exhilaration he hadn't felt in a long while.

Temari noticed this change in Sasuke's mood and raised an eyebrow. "Huh. Looks like you're interested."

A smirk rose on his lips. "Chuunin exam...heh. I like the sound of that..."

"Tch. Thought you said you weren't supposed to _have _emotions, hypocrite."

"Regarding missions...but this? This is a _test_. There's a difference."

"Not by much, kid. Watch yourself, or you may end up dead."

For some reason, that idea only added to the anticipation. He would finally be able to prove his strength, not to the other ninja in the exam, but to himself.

He couldn't help but feel excited about that.

"This...is going to be fun."

* * *

_You know what comes next chapter, don'tcha? The famous Wave Country Arc. Whoo-boy...this should be interesting. I'm going to be re-watching episodes 6-19 to help with this section, and I guess I should read the corresponding chapters in the manga, too. In any case, I think you'll like it. It's turning out very interesting in my head._

_Remember me mentioning that I was starting another story? Well, I have. It's called "What it Takes." So if you want to see my strange little brand of humor on overdrive, take a look. From what I've been told so far, it's funny. I'm having a lot of fun with it, and I think you guys would too._

_Thanks again for all your support. I love hearing from you. _

_'Til next time. _


	18. 2, 7: Entering into the Waves

"Keep away! Otousama says to stay away from him!"

"He's dangerous! Don't get too close!"

Gaara's eyes glistened as he plaintively held out his arms. Temari and Kankurou were his family...Yashamaru said so. He said family is supposed to be about love and trust.

Why wouldn't they trust him?

The other boy with them looked sad, too, but scared. They were scared of him. His own family was afraid. Love...trust...fear. Fear. It was always fear.

"But...he's your brother, isn't he?"

"He's a monster!"

Tears burned his eyes as he looked at his older brother. How could...how could he say that? How could...?

Temari smacked him. "Shut up, dummy! You'll make him mad, and _then _what? We'll _all _die!"

"But...but...I won't...kill you..." Gaara whimpered.

But Temari still looked at him. She wasn't as afraid as Kankurou or the other boy, but her eyes were narrow and suspicious. She didn't trust him.

Gaara dropped his arms, turning away.

He'd just wanted to know what a hug felt like.

He wasn't dangerous...he _wasn't!_

...Was he?

**/\**

Gaara opened his eyes and looked up at the dawning sun. He sighed heavily and shook his head. That life was behind him. Kankurou and Temari were no longer his concern.

It wasn't their faults. The exalted Kazekage-sama had warned them against him. Their beloved, honored father. What else _could _they have done?

A part of him still ached with that betrayal, though.

Regardless of anything, he'd still been their brother.

He stood up and sighed again, beginning to walk. The streets of Konoha, now so familiar to him after years of wandering in the moonlight, unfolded before him.

When he stopped, a smile crossed his face.

**/\**

"Keep away! Daddy said to stay away!"

"He's a bad guy! Mommy says he's dangerous!"

Naruto's eyes glistened, but he wiped them away defiantly. Fine! _These_ guys wanted to be stupid, too? Let them be stupid. It wasn't any skin off _his _nose.

What'd that saying mean, anyway?

He chuckled, finding something new to occupy his mind. Screw kickball! He didn't need to play kickball! He had to find some way to get the skin off his nose.

Just to see.

But as he walked away, his heart ached with disappointment. They were kids, just like him. Why wouldn't they pay any attention to him? Why wouldn't they let him play?

It wasn't fair.

It wasn't right.

Iruka-sensei and Old Man Hokage told him it wasn't his fault...and they knew lots of stuff, right? So they had to be right...right?

Sure.

_I wonder if Iruka-sensei ever got the skin off _his _nose..._

**/\**_  
_

Naruto chuckled. Memories surfaced at such strange times, it seemed. He _still _didn't really understand the meaning of that phrase. He figured maybe he'd ask Shikamaru later.

The young Nara seemed to know more than anyone in the village...he thought that the only person who might rival him in sheer smarts would be Gaara.

He wondered if Gaara could beat Shikamaru in a game of shougi.

The thought was amusing. Shikamaru _never _lost at shougi...but you never knew. He pondered setting up a game sometime...just to see.

He got up off his couch, walked over to the door, and opened it, ready to face the day. He wondered what kind of mission he would end up with today.

Gaara was waiting on the porch.

"Oh. Hey, Gaara. Ya ready to kick some ass?"

"...Indeed. Shall we go fetch Hinata, then?"

Naruto nodded.

**/\**

It seemed like a trade, in a way.

No one would doubt that Gaara had had a harder time in his youth than Naruto had. Gaara had dealt with not only cold disdain from the adults, but outright terror from the children.

Whereas Naruto had only had to deal with the adults. The children of Konoha had only known the empty-headed troublemaker. They had figured _that _to be the reason their parents and aunts and uncles had hated him.

Now, it was the other way around. Gaara was all but revered in Konoha now, as a prodigal student and model shinobi. In the short time he had worn his _hitai-ate_, he had garnered quite a reputation, and even the people who disliked him for being friends with Naruto acknowledged that he did an exemplary job in every mission he undertook.

Naruto, however, was as distrusted as he had ever been. He did good work, but it wasn't as good as that of his teammates. He was still prone to rash behavior, and sometimes the chores he performed ended quite badly.

Hinata and Gaara noticed this, and they were reasonably sure Naruto himself was aware of it as well, although he never let it show. The constant grin on Naruto's face hid his emotions quite well. No one could ever be sure if it was genuine joy on that whiskered face or a façade holding back tears.

Hatake Kakashi thought of himself as an expert at reading people. He fancied himself a good judge of a person's emotions. He had always been observant, an essential quality for any shinobi, and so it was rather easy for him to understand what was beneath the surface.

But Naruto was an enigma, and the silver-haired jounin was reminded, rather forcefully, of a face from his past whenever he saw the blonde. A ghost long since banished into the deep recesses of memory, but no less potent a force because of it.

Kakashi could hardly read Naruto, either, but it didn't bother him so much as it intrigued him.

All three of his students intrigued him. Naruto he had once taken for stupid but turned out to be rather intelligent; Gaara he had once taken for insane but had turned out to be quite level-headed; Hinata he had once taken for weak but had turned out to be more than capable.

And as he escorted them to receive their next mission, he marveled at his luck. He remembered something his own commander, the man who would one day go down in history as the greatest shinobi to ever live, had said to him.

"Someday, when you become a jounin, as I'm sure you will, I hope you land yourself a team of genin just like you guys are. Just so you can see, from an outsider's point of view, what you're like."

Kakashi had always assumed that fate, which seemed often to have quite the sense of humor, would oblige his sensei's wish, but as it turned out it hadn't.

These three, at first glance, _might _have seemed like the Kakashi, Obito, and Rin of old...but they were vastly different in so many ways...

...And he found himself glad for that.

He wasn't sure if he could have handled a genin like himself. Just the thought of it sent a shiver down his spine.

**/\**

"Ah, hello, you three," Sandaime said with a nod as the three friends stepped before him. "I was just thinking of you. Kakashi, I've been looking over the reports you've given me over the past few weeks."

"And have you decided something, then? You have a gleam in your eyes that I'm not entirely certain I trust."

Sandaime chuckled good-naturedly. "You worry too much, Kakashi. I'm not plotting anything. I've simply come to a conclusion. You say they work well together, and that their abilities are above that of the average genin?"

"By far," Kakashi said. "Gaara's ability in ninjutsu is already chuunin-level, if not higher, and Hinata has received extensive training in taijutsu as well as ninjutsu. Naruto has displayed an exemplary amount of energy, and while his use of chakra is less than refined, it is highly effective in certain situations. Also, if you remember, they trained with...Gai, for a while."

Sandaime chuckled. "Ah, yes. Your own suggestion, if I recall."

"I _told _Iruka to simply take _advice _from him...but it seems that didn't turn out. Regrettable. But that is irrelevant."

"Ah, well. I suppose you're right. Anyway, judging by this information, I'd say your team is ready for a mission that is...more difficult than what they have been doing thus far."

Naruto's eyes positively _glowed _at the idea, and his teammates were interested as well. Sandaime smiled at them.

"The missions you have completed so far have been D-rank. The lowest. I think you're ready for a step up. What do you say? Do you feel you are prepared for a C-rank mission?"

"You bet!" Naruto crowed, throwing his fist in the air.

"Hai, Hokage-sama," Hinata said with a bow.

"Certainly," Gaara added, nodding.

"What would this mission entail, Hokage-sama?" Kakashi asked.

"Well, it would be an escort mission."

"Escort! We gotta escort someone? Like, be bodyguards? For who? Who who who who who who?"

...Three guesses who _that _was.

Sandaime laughed. "Calm down. I'll introduce you." He turned toward the door. "You can come in now."

A hand slid the door open.

Naruto's eyes widened with anticipation.

The man stepped inside...

**/\**

"I don't like this."

"What you like doesn't matter. It's a mission. I don't intend to turn down easy money because you don't like something."

"Of course. I meant no disrespect. But...the way he treats you! It's simply...inexcusable! You are not some common thug for him to kick around!"

Hard black eyes turned to regard the speaker with razor-sharp anger. "And Gatou will learn that soon enough. For now, so long as his offer stands, he is of more use to me alive than dead."

The young ninja frowned. "I still don't like this. He should not act as though you are some dog he is throwing scraps to. You are an elite shinobi, and are deserving of respect. I cannot just sit idle while he spits upon your name."

"You _will _sit idle until I say otherwise, Haku."

The one called Haku flinched slightly and lowered his head. "Yes...of course, Zabuza-sama. I apologize."

Zabuza grunted dismissively. "Anyway, this will be easy. It's just one old man. I'm surprised Gatou is so incompetent as to need _me _in order to deal with him. But then, men like that are often little more than children. The truly powerful do not need to flaunt their influence."

It was clear by the dark-haired, dark-eyed shinobi's tone that he was disgusted, and Haku understood and wholeheartedly agreed.

Gatou was slime in an expensive suit. He hid behind a myriad of bodyguards and grinned that shark's grin he had, tiny mustaches twitching as he barked orders as if he owned the men who worked for him.

If it had been worth the time and effort, Haku might have set about convincing the other men whose services Gatou had garnered to revolt, if only to see the cocky, indignant smirk vanish from that whining, puling maggot's face.

"It seems the old man has enlisted the aid of Konoha shinobi," Zabuza said, snapping Haku out of his fantasy. "A minor nuisance."

"Do you think we will even have to step in?" Haku asked, tucking a strand of long black hair behind his ear. "He couldn't have been able to afford decent protection."

"I doubt it. But I find myself hoping we will...if only for the sake of finally getting some exercise. I'm getting restless..."

Haku knew that. In the years he had worked under Momochi Zabuza, he had learned much about him. And one of the things he had learned was that Zabuza hated idleness. He was a man of action, of ruthless ambition, and often grew irritable when forced to stay his hand for any amount of time. Patience was not in Zabuza's vocabulary.

Zabuza sighed, adjusting the bandages covering most of his face. "Let there be someone worth an effort be in that group..."

Haku smiled slightly. "That may be. I hope so; it has been a long time since you have had a challenge, Zabuza-sama."

"I haven't had a _challenge _in years," Zabuza muttered. "I'm not hoping for a _challenge_...I just want someone halfway _decent_." He rolled his eyes.

The smile widened. "Of course, Zabuza-sama."

"Stop with that formal shit, would you? It's annoying."

"I'm sorry, Zabuza-san. It won't happen again."

Zabuza groaned and rolled his eyes again. "You're hopeless, you know that? Sometimes I wonder why I keep you around."

"Because I am useful to you, Zabuza-san, and you know it."

"Yeah, yeah...watch it, brat, or I'll find someone _else _useful. Speaking of which, go stand watch."

"Surely you don't expect something to happen, do you?"

"You're still a brat. Treat this like a training exercise. Anything gets past you, and I'll break your spindly little arms. Now go, before I get angry."

Haku's face was pleasant as he stood and bowed. "Of course, Zabuza-sama. As you wish."

"Knock that off!"

"My apologies, Zabuza-san."

"Goin' deaf. I swear, sometimes you're more trouble than you're—you still here? Go!"

Haku bowed again and left.

Zabuza groaned, shook his head, and stared out into the shadows. "...Better be a worthwhile fight in the next few days...or I'm gonna _make _one..."

**/\**

Naruto's shoulders slumped.

The man they were to escort...was a drunk old man with a bad attitude. Oh, what luck.

"Eh?" the man looked at the four shinobi with inebriated disbelief. "These guys ninjas? You serious? They don't look like they could walk a _dog!"_

"I assure you, Tazuna-san," Sandaime said, "these three youngsters here are more than capable. They'll see the job done."

"Yeah, well...you'll forgive me if I ain't too confident. These greenhorn brats can't be...capable. 'Specially the short one. Looks like a total idiot."

Gaara and Hinata both took hold of one of Naruto's arms before he had the chance to attack the old man.

"Haven't you heard the saying about judging a book by its cover?" Gaara asked casually. "You can say Naruto _looks _like an idiot...but does that really mean anything? _You _look like a good-for-nothing drunk. _Are _you?"

Tazuna scowled. "I am Tazuna, a master bridge builder!" he snarled, glaring hotly at the red-haired genin. "And _you_, my sharp-tongued little friend, and your little _friends _here, are going to protect me while I work on my new bridge, back in my home country! Even if it costs you your lives!"

"Alcohol apparently induces melodrama..." Gaara muttered.

"I highly doubt this mission will cost them their _lives_," Kakashi agreed. "But whatever happens, it won't if we don't start out. So...is everyone ready?"

It was a rhetorical question. He started leaving before anyone said a word. Naruto, still slightly miffed by the "idiot" comment, stomped out of the room. Gaara glanced at Tazuna with a neutral expression while he passed, and Hinata made a soft apology on her teammates' behalf.

Sandaime chuckled, shaking his head, wondering what sort of adventure they would get into now.

If he'd known, he would have likely had a heart attack.

**/\**

_Sorry; I know this chapter is a little short. And I also apologize for how long this took to get out. I've had a lot on my mind lately. Hopefully you enjoyed this. _

_Also, I've a question. I'm thinking of starting up a series of oneshots detailing the events of the three years between Part I and Part II. I just wanted to know how many of you guys would be interested in reading more about Naruto, Gaara, and Hinata when they were little. I'm probably going to do it anyway, but your endorsement or rejection of the idea will certainly influence my final decision._

_Ja ne, all. 'Til next time._


	19. 2, 8: An Inkling of Something More

_**Coupled with a creative slump that went on for a while, I've also had a lot of homework lately. Also, I'm attempting to find myself a job. Had my first interview yesterday. I'm also looking into getting a house pretty soon. So I hope you'll forgive the lateness of this chapter. I've had a lot of stuff happening lately. **_

_** Anyway, enjoy, ne?**_

* * *

"So you're building a bridge...isn't that right?"

The old man raised an eyebrow at Gaara. "You talk a lot, don't you, kid?"

Naruto snickered. "A _tree _talks more 'n Gaara a lot o' the time! People think he's mute."

"Oh, yeah? And what's so special about me that the mute would decide to waste my time with stupid questions?"

"Better to ask a hundred stupid questions and stumble upon a worthwhile answer than to keep silent and lose the chance," Gaara muttered. "And this is not a stupid question...what is our mission, Tazuna-san? You said that we were to protect you...from what?"

"The usual riffraff. Bandits and such, you know."

"You made the journey from the Wave Country to our village...alone...so that we could protect you from bandits. If you were worried about that, why come alone? Surely the bandits you are wishing for protection from would not gawk at the chance to assault you while you find help. Or do they have a peculiar code of honor I am not aware of?"

Tazuna looked oddly at him. "Uh...well...it isn't like I had any _choice _but to go myself, smart boy. We don't have any shinobi to protect us back home...so what was I supposed to do? Just sit there because someone _might _cause trouble as I went for help?"

"Hmmm..."

And he left it at that.

Tazuna raised an eyebrow. "What the...you're weird, kid. You know that?"

Gaara shrugged.

The old man shook his head and kept walking, muttering about the new generation and how it was going to cause no end of trouble when _they _rose to power. It was no wonder his parents had died young; they hadn't wanted to live to see _this_. Same for his siblings.

"Gaara-kun," Hinata whispered loudly, and he turned with a mildly curious expression to look at her. Noting the worried, slightly miffed expression on _hers_, he stopped walking and turned his full attention to his teammate.

"Yes?"

"I know Tazuna-san wasn't exactly _nice _to us, but don't you think you're being a bit...well...rude? He _is _our client, you know. He could complain."

"He _has _complained," Gaara muttered.

Waiting until Tazuna had his attention elsewhere, he motioned for Naruto to come over.

"Hm?" the blonde murmured. "What's up?"

"I'm sure Kakashi-sensei knows this already, but there's something...off about this," he said. "There's more to this. More than Tazuna's letting on."

"Why'd ya say that?" Naruto asked. "'Cuz o' the bandit thing? You think he's hidin' something?"

"I don't know for sure, but I think he is. He's been complaining a _lot_ so far, and most of it is about our experience. We're new blood, with no real skill. We won't be adequate for the task. Isn't there anyone better? Can't we afford to have at _least _a couple chuunin along? What kind of people does he think we are? We may not be skilled when compared to other shinobi, but against a common cutpurse? We're more than enough. And Kakashi-sensei is a jounin, one of the best we have. Why would he complain so much unless he was worried? And why be so worried if all that we were to protect him from is having his wallet stolen?"

Naruto frowned. "Huh...s' true...but whatcha think's goin' on?"

"That, I've no idea. But I've spent my life observing people...noting their emotions. And when I asked him about the mission, he looked decidedly nervous...like he'd been caught."

Hinata frowned. "I...I don't know, Gaara-kun. I mean, just because he's nervous doesn't mean...doesn't mean that he's hiding something. He could just be nervous."

"I don't think so," Gaara said.

"Gaara's makin' sense, Hinata."

"I just...don't think it's right to just assume he's lying to us."

"Just wait. You'll see. I'm sure of it."

Gaara began walking at a faster rate, to keep up with his charge and his commander. Naruto glanced at Hinata, shrugged, and followed suit.

Hinata followed behind.

"I know you've had a hard time," she whispered, looking at the backs of her teammates, "but...not everyone lies. Some people...you can trust."

* * *

"Hey! Hey, brat! You listening to me?"

"Kankurou." Sasuke stopped walking, turned to look over his shoulder, and let out an annoyed breath. "It isn't a good idea to get into the habit of yelling all the time. We are _ninja_, remember? Swift, silent, deadly? Not just clichés."

"Don't start getting condescending with me, you little—"

"You're boring me."

Temari groaned. "How about you two _both _shut up so we can concentrate on what we're doing? The chuunin exams aren't getting any farther away because you want to argue."

"He called my weapons _toys!" _Kankurou snarled.

"Yes, yes, and because _you're _just as immature as _he _is, you took that personally. Can we move on, now? The point of group training, ironically enough, is to _train with a group_, decidedly difficult to do by oneself."

"Look, Temari, I'm _not _training with some snot-nosed little _punk _who—"

"Kankurou, shut your hole. Now you're boring _me_. Can we get _on _with this or am I going to have to call Baki in here to break this up?"

Kankurou sniffed derisively and sent a glare toward his younger teammate. "...Fine. Whatever. So long as he shuts up."

"Great. We're all friends again. Yay. Now let's _go_."

Temari readied her fan.

Kankurou cracked his knuckles and put Karasu into position.

Sasuke did nothing.

His eyes glowed crimson.

* * *

"I'll keep watch."

Tazuna raised an eyebrow. "Uh...ain't that the call of Kakashi, here? Maybe I don't know too much about how this ninja stuff works, but...as an elite, ain't this masked guy your leader?"

"He is, indeed, my commander," Gaara said, "but for obvious reasons, I am best suited to this task. Am I wrong?"

He glanced at Kakashi.

"No, Gaara, you are not wrong. You keep watch. However, I want you two," he looked at Naruto and Hinata, "to help him. Naruto, you first. In four hours, wake Hinata. Gaara, you stay on the north side of camp. You two are south."

"Ain't Gaara enough?" Naruto asked, raising an eyebrow. "I mean, he don't sleep an' he can use his sand to keep an eye on stuff, right?"

"Just because Gaara has advanced techniques does not mean I'll let you get lazy. Now, I suggest you use a few clones to assist you, since you seem so adept at using the technique. Hinata, use this time to sharpen your eyes. If any of you sees anything suspicious, wake me. We cannot be too cautious. The slightest complication could prove disastrous if we are not prepared."

"Sounds kinda overblown t' me," Naruto muttered. "But whatever, Sensei. Guess we gotta keep an eye out for the _bandits_, huh?"

"Indeed."

"Wait, wait, wait...what's with these 'obvious' reasons the redhead was talking about? What's this about not sleeping?"

"Gaara-kun doesn't sleep, Tazuna-san," Hinata said. "He can't."

"What..._can't _sleep? I don't..."

"I am an insomniac, Tazuna-san," Gaara elaborated. "My body has conditioned itself to function perfectly well without sleep. I regain my energy in other fashions."

Tazuna raised an eyebrow, frowning. "...Ninjas," he said with a sniff. "Crazy-ass ninjas. _Conditioned _bodies..._other fashions_..."

He continued to mumble as he sat down, looking around at his surroundings as he did. Clearly nervous, he began rummaging through the pack he had brought with him, likely with no particular item in mind to find, but rather simply for something to do.

"Let's go," Gaara said.

He and Naruto walked in opposite directions to their designated posts, while Kakashi, with the discipline of a seasoned soldier, fell asleep immediately.

Hinata took longer to succumb to slumber, but she was still quietly snoring long before Tazuna finally calmed himself enough and closed his eyes.

* * *

"You aren't at your post, Naruto," Gaara noted without opening his eyes.

"I got clones over there," Naruto replied, looking around the ground, noting the thin streams of sand slithering out from Gaara's body in the bright moonlight. "So whatcha think the old geezer's up to, huh? Any ideas?"

"No, not particularly. Even if he is hiding information from us, which Hinata clearly believes he is _not _doing, I cannot fathom a guess as to what that information might be. Clearly he is far more frightened than he should be given what he has said we are to protect him from, like I said before."

"Ya think we'll run into some other ninja?"

As soon as the question was out of his mouth, Naruto grinned broadly. He was clearly excited by the idea. Gaara opened his eyes and glanced up at his friend. "I would not rule out the possibility," he murmured, and quickly added upon seeing Naruto's grin widen, "but it is still not likely. And besides, Kakashi-sensei is one of our best. I doubt we will have a chance to do anything even if we _are _dealing with enemy shinobi."

"Still...still, we _could_, huh? That'd be so _awesome! _I mean, all we been doing lately is house chores and errands and stuff. We're _ninja! _We should be _above _stuff like that! Only reason we're doing it is 'cuz the villagers 'r getting lazier! Treating us like babysitters and stuff like that when we're _military! _I wanna fight! I wanna get stronger, 'n I can't do that if I'm just pulling weeds and doing dishes!"

"There will be plenty of time to risk our lives later on in our career, Naruto," Gaara said. "Do not be so eager to engage in battle. Do not be so eager to kill."

Naruto's grin faded slightly.

"That is our job, Naruto, when we fight," Gaara went on. "Our battles so far have been tests. They have not ended as they will when our first_ true _test is conducted. Our job as shinobi is to kill. Swiftly, without notice, without mercy. Sensei has likely ended hundreds of lives. Sarutobi-sama even more. Even Iruka-sensei, as kind as he is, has killed in the name of our village. We will be called on to do the same."

Naruto's grin was completely gone. He looked down at his feet. "I...I guess I never thought of it that way...but you're right. This is serious business, ain't it? We're...we're assassins now. Ain't that what everyone thinks we are?"

"As ninja, yes, a majority of the general populace would consider us paid assassins. _That _is untrue, however. We kill for necessity, not for money. _We _are of the Hidden Leaf. Remember that. Our first Hokage was a different man than his peers, and that has seeped into the very roots of our forests. We are soldiers. Protectors. We are not assassins."

"And...and the Sand? Where you came from?"

"Had I stayed there," Gaara murmured, looking up at the star-blanketed sky, "I would have become a true monster. Not even an assassin, but an inhuman instrument of bloodlust. That...is the goal of the Kazekage...all of them. They have been of the most ruthless sort, from the beginning. Had I stayed there...I would have lost any and all semblance of my humanity."

He smiled slightly. "And that is why I thank Sarutobi-sama...for bringing me from that end. And you, Naruto, for showing me that there was a different choice at my disposal than giving in to the ways of my family."

Naruto's smile returned. "Hey...what're friends for?"

Gaara chuckled.

* * *

"Have you managed to find anything out, Zabuza-san?"

"...Yes. What I've been hoping for...waiting for..."

"Hm?"

Zabuza's pitch-black eyes gleamed with menace and sadistic glee. "A true test of my ability...I said I wasn't expecting a challenge...but I have one anyway."

Haku's face lit up with delight. He leaned in close. "You do? What have you found?"

Zabuza chuckled. "You were right. The old man couldn't afford decent protection. He hired a team of genin. First mission out of their village. Cannon fodder. Unworthy of my attention."

Haku's pleasure dissipated into confusion. "But...Zabuza-san, you said this would be a challenge! If they're only genin, how could that interest you?"

"Do you remember nothing, boy? Genin teams are always assigned a jounin commander. Teach them the ropes. Make sure they don't hold a kunai the wrong way and spill their guts onto their feet."

"And...this team's commander is the one you're talking about? _He _is the challenge you've been waiting for?"

"Indeed..."

"But didn't you say they were from Konoha? The Hidden Leaf isn't exactly...well..."

"Proof that you're still a naïve little brat," Zabuza said sharply. "You _believe_ what the rest of the idiots we associate with say about them? The Hidden Leaf is home to some of the best of the best. They're prosperous because of that. You don't think they _actually _got sloppy because of their prosperity, do you? If that were the case, another village would have moved in and taken them out already."

"I've...never heard you speak so highly of an enemy before."

"It's a ninja's job to know his enemy, Haku, and you're an idiot if you underestimate them. I've done my research, you know. I've seen how Konoha operates. They're nothing to scoff at."

"And...who is this team's leader?"

"Someone even _you _will have heard of. Hatake Kakashi."

Haku's eyes widened. "T-The...the...Copy Ninja?"

"Indeed...master of the sharingan, despite not being a part of the Uchiha clan...Any ninja worth a glance knows his name. _He _is the man I've been waiting for...the challenge I've been holding out for."

"...I've heard much of the Copy Ninja...I hear it told he's never accepted the mantle of 'teacher.' If he has a team of genin now...surely that means they aren't simply obstacles? You yourself just said not to underestimate the enemy. If a man like Hatake Kakashi has accepted these genin...that must mean something."

"It does," Zabuza said. "It means _you'll _have yourself a challenge as well, Haku. Don't disappoint me."

Haku bowed his head. "Of course, Zabuza-san. I will not let you down."

Zabuza nodded and turned away.

After a moment of silence, Haku looked up. "Zabuza-san...how do you know so much about the Hidden Leaf? We've never ventured there before...and I do not recall hearing about any conflict between our villages..."

"I've my ways, Haku. You don't get anywhere in the 'underworld' without having connections. How do _you _know about Hatake Kakashi? Where did you hear that he hasn't had a team of genin up to now? That's not exactly common knowledge."

Haku smiled. "...I've ways of finding information as well, Zabuza-san. One of the benefits of having a pretty face, you know. People trust you."

"Pretty face? Well, aren't _you _getting high and mighty all of a sudden?"

"People wouldn't mistake me for a girl if I didn't have a pretty face, Zabuza-san."

"Yeah, well, maybe if you _also _didn't have such a pansy-ass way about you, they wouldn't make the mistake. You _act _like a girl half the time, Haku. Always cooin' over babies and animals and shit like that...I don't get you."

"I may as well use the misconception to my advantage, right? Is not deception one of the most important tools of any ninja? Especially a missing-nin?"

Zabuza raised an eyebrow. "...Hn. Guess you been learning after all. Maybe you aren't so useless. Well, Mister Information-Gatherer, go gather something to eat. And _this _time, don't wuss out and end up keepin' the damn thing as a _pet."_

Haku's smile widened. "Of course, Zabuza-san. As you wish."

"Uh-huh. Get movin'. Keep a look out for the old man while you're at it. I wanna know how fast he's moving."

"As you wish," Haku repeated.

"Yeah, yeah, as I wish. Move!"

"As you—"

"Haku!"

The boy ninja giggled liltingly and left the clearing.

Zabuza shook his head disgustedly.

"...No fuckin' wonder people think he's my damn _girlfriend_...little bastard prob'ly likes making them think that..."

Lying on his back, the self-proclaimed (although no one disputed him on it) Demon of the Mist looked up at the trees and wondered why in the hell he'd picked up that miserable little rat so many years ago.

Haku might have said it was because they both had the same weakness for helpless things. Neither of them could turn their backs on a creature in need, whether it be an animal or another person.

Zabuza would have laughed.

No way in hell.

* * *

The next morning they were on the move early. It was barely past sunrise by the time everything had been packed up and the four shinobi and their irritable charge were on the road toward the Wave Country again.

"So you really stayed awake _all _night, huh?" Tazuna asked of Gaara, clearly still skeptical.

"Yes," Gaara said. "I do not sleep. I said that yesterday."

"Huh. Yeah, heard ya. Just didn't believe ya. Not so sure I do now."

"Watch me tonight, then."

"Yeah, whatever. I'm old, kid. Can't stay up all night like I used to."

"Then you've no choice but to believe me."

"Yeah, I _do. _I choose to believe you're a little liar."

"If you do not trust me, then perhaps I should—"

"Gaara-kun," Hinata whispered.

"Stop making excuses for the man, Hinata," Gaara said. "I've listened to him complain constantly since yesterday, and frankly, it's beginning to annoy me. He hired us, now he says he doesn't trust us. I don't see a reason to be here if that's the case."

"He's talking about your insomnia, Gaara-kun, not—"

"I _know _what he's talking about. _I'm _talking about his lack of confidence in us. We aren't children. We're trained ninja. Perhaps not as trained as he would _like_, but trained enough to handle bandits. Sarutobi-sama endorsed us himself, but did that make any difference? No. Still nothing but complaints. I'mgetting sick of it."

"Now, you listen here, brat—" Tazuna started.

"_Do not _call me a brat!" Gaara snapped. "I am a _ninja. _If you need proof of that, look at the fact that you _hired _me and my team to defend you. You can't ask us to risk our lives for you and then criticize our lack of ability!"

"Gaara," Kakashi cut in, "calm down. Getting angry won't solve anything. If Tazuna-san is not convinced of your ability as a ninja, perhaps you should prove yourself to him?"

"I do not see why _I _should be the one to prove anything."

"See? He's cranky 'cuz he didn't sleep. Trying to prove to me that he doesn't need it. Just like my grands—"

Gaara began walking faster, hands fisted at his sides.

Kakashi looked at the old man. "Tazuna-san...Gaara _does not sleep. _It isn't a joke. It isn't a prank. We're serious."

"Tch. Uh-huh."

Kakashi sighed. "You know...I'm beginning to see my subordinate's side of this issue. If all you're going to do is ignore everything we say and chalk it up to falsehood, perhaps we _should _leave."

"That's not fair," Hinata said quickly. "Tazuna-san is just worried. He's nervous. I'm sure he doesn't mean to act ungrateful...right?"

"Yeah," Naruto said, "but what's he nervous _about?"_

Tazuna said nothing.

There was silence until they reached Gaara, who was no standing, head down. He was stone-still.

He glanced up. "Sensei...it hasn't rained recently...has it?"

"No."

"...Then why...did we pass a puddle of water just a second ago?"


	20. 2, 9: First Real Battle

_**  
Sorry!!! I know this took forever, but I've been very busy with school lately, and on the rare occasions I did write I wasn't able to plot through this chapter. I finally got a handle on what I think is a good scene, and I hope you guys like it.**_

Don't worry; I'm not giving up on this story. No matter how long I take to update, this one isn't going away.

* * *

The job was simple. 

So simple, in fact, that it was insulting. 

"I don't understand why he's sending _us _to do something so trivial. Why not send that girly little servant boy he's always got hanging around him?" 

"Well, I don't know about you, Meizu," came the reply, "but I'm not about to voice my complaints. Chances are, he'll let that _girly little servant boy_ have a 'discussion' with us about loyalty." 

The one called Meizu suddenly straightened. "Uh...right." 

"And besides," the other said, turning to regard his companion, "haven't you heard? Haku might be a missing-nin like us, but before that he was an ANBU. So he outranks us, young and weak as he seems." 

Meizu scowled beneath the black mask he wore. "...Tch. ANBU...I think that's a complete lie. I can't believe that you, Gozu, would be taken in by that. He's just a kid!" 

"Don't take that one lightly," Gozu warned. "Or has it not crossed your mind that Zabuza has taken him in as an apprentice?" 

Meizu snorted. "For reasons likely having nothing to do with—" 

Gozu smacked Meizu across the face. 

"Are you _trying _to get us killed? You act as though those two would spare a blink before killing us in our sleep! It's true we've worked with Zabuza a long time, but do you honestly think that matters to him?" 

Gozu's eyes turned hard. "Think about whether or not it's really any of our business _why _he keeps the boy around...and also, whether or not it's _smart _to question it." 

Meizu, subdued, sighed. "...You're right. I just don't get why _we _got picked for this mission. S'not like Zabuza ain't got other flunkies, lower-ranked than us, to do his grunt work like this. Just a group o' _genin, _for Kami's sake..." 

"Who have a jounin along with them." 

"Ungh. Whatever." 

"...Is there a problem...'Onikyoudai?'" 

Both stiffened, faces going pale beneath their heavy black masks. Slowly, ever so slowly, they turned their heads to the sound of that soft, musical, child-like voice. 

The boy called Haku stood behind them, dressed in his casual attire (that of a pink, flowered kimono that he preferred, despite the fact that it so often accentuated the misconception that he was a woman...or perhaps _because _of it), hands on his hips and a serene smile on his young face, as if he were a friend simply out for a stroll. 

Haku was no friend, though. 

He was a warden. 

Behind that smile lay deadly, poisonous fangs. 

"U-Uh...n-nothing, Haku-dono," Gozu stuttered. 

"Yeah..." Meizu added, visibly trembling. 

Haku, still with that open, friendly smile and bright, sparkling eyes, sauntered forward and put a delicate hand on each brother's shoulder. 

"Are you sure...?" he purred, and not for the first time the two brothers almost forgot this one's gender. It was not the first time, and certainly not the last time, that the pair would wonder about whether or not Haku's...preferences were atypical. 

Of course, it was more likely that he did this simply because he knew that it put them on edge. It gave him an advantage, and if Zabuza had taught Haku anything in the years of his apprenticeship, it was that any advantage was worth exploiting.

"I could..._talk_ to Zabuza-sama if you'd rather not take this assignment...he might be angry...but I'm sure I can handle him..."

That was a boldfaced lie.

Talking to Zabuza wasn't an offer. 

It was a threat.

"You...d-don't have to do that, Haku-dono!" Gozu assured. "We're on our way right now!"

Meizu nodded hurriedly, and the "infamous" Onikyoudai ran like frightened puppies from a boy in a pink kimono.

Haku chuckled. "...Idiots."

* * *

"This's a joke..." Meizu muttered. "Those genin look like they couldn't put on their frickin' _shoes _without ending up in the hospital, 'n their jounin looks like a damn drunk!"

Gozu restrained the urge to smack his upstart younger brother upside the head. "You idiot! Can you not _recognize _that 'damn drunk'? That's Hatake goddamn Kakashi! And since when does _looking _drunk make any difference?! _We've _pulled that before!"

"..._That _guy?" Meizu asked incredulously. "No damn way! That ain't no legend!"

"...Don't make me hurt you, nimrod."

"Tch. Whatever. Let's just get this over with."

"Remember," Gozu hissed harshly, "Zabuza told us this is a scouting mission, so don't go after the target unless you get a clear, clean shot! We're here to see what the geezer's guards can do, and that's _it!" _

"Yeah, yeah...whatever."

"And remember this, too! Let the poison do the work! Don't get reckless! No matter what _you _might think, that _is _a legend over there, a man who's killed _countless _guys like us without _blinking! _So _be careful!! _The only advantage we got is that they dunno we're here!"

Meizu, compliant for once, perhaps hearing the urgency in his brother's tone, simply nodded. His eyes, however, showed that he was still doubtful, and likely still insulted that he – a chuunin – had been subjected to such mundane, useless work.

"And watch out for the redhead! I've heard rumors about that one. Got a demon inside of him. One of the bijuu, no less. Hatake aside, he's the most dangerous. He uses sand as his weapon. Used to live in Suna. We'll go for them two first, when we still have the element of surprise. The other two are nothing."

Meizu nodded again. "Fine. Let's do this, then."

Gozu nodded in turn. "We wait for an opportunity, then take them down."

"Mm," Meizu agreed.

The Onikyoudai prepared to strike.

* * *

Kakashi's lack of a response to his question told Gaara all he needed to know. 

He kept walking. 

The rest of his team followed his lead. 

Tazuna, of course, was nervous. "...Huh? What puddle? What're you talking about? Where'd you see a—" 

"Quiet," Gaara said. 

"Hey, Gaara!" Naruto crowed, and the red-haired youth flinched. "Lighten up!" 

He turned, _very _close to filling his friend's mouth with sand, none too gently, either, until he saw the look in Naruto's eyes. The blonde had been especially loud on purpose. 

He winked. 

Gaara covered his chuckle with a cough. "Naruto!" he snapped. "Don't be so loud! We're _ninja, _remember?"

"Oh, c'mon!" Naruto all but shouted. Then, in a whisper, barely moving his lips: "You think there's—"

Louder: "Don't be so paranoid!"

Quiet: "—somebody out there?" 

Coughing again, Gaara said, "I'm not being paranoid, Naruto." Following his teammate's lead, he whispered: "Yes."

Louder: "I'm being responsible. There's no reason for that sort of conduct."

"Pfft..." Naruto waved it off.

"Don't get angry, Gaara-kun," Hinata said, and, in the same vein as her teammates, added: "I can see them. Two of them."

Louder: "Naruto-kun's just excited."

"Many genin get 'excited' about their first C mission," Kakashi said, strolling up beside his students. "And just _where _do you think they are now, hm?"

"Knowing you, Sensei," Naruto said, "yer gonna say they're dead. I get it, I get it. But me 'n Gaara—" here he made a quick gesture with his hands, alternatively pointing to himself and Gaara, "—are invincible!"

Gaara nodded. 

Kakashi rolled his eye.

Hinata suddenly gasped, jumped, and whirled around. "Did you hear that?" she asked breathlessly. "I heard something!"

The three male shinobi caught where her eyes stopped roaming; it was a split-second, but it was enough.

"Probably just a bird or a squirrel," Gaara suggested.

"Or an enemy ninja!" Naruto cried excitedly. "Know what I'd do if another shinobi popped up right now?"

Gaara sighed.

"_This!" _

The blonde dove toward Gaara, grabbed a smoke bomb from the pouch at his belt, and laughed.

"Super ninja vanish!" he cried dramatically.

He threw it down.

"_Naruto!" _Hinata, Gaara, and Kakashi all admonished as he and Gaara disappeared in a puff of smoke.

When the smoke cleared, Kakashi – and Hinata – noticed the very faint dark circles around Naruto's eyes, and the faintest hint of whisker marks on Gaara's cheeks.

Inwardly, Kakashi applauded his students.

_Oh, that's good... _

"Damn it, Naruto!" yelled "Gaara" with a scowl. "Don't waste those!"

"Oh, calm down," replied "Naruto," grinning. "S'not like we ain't got more."

"That isn't the point!"

"Naruto-kun, Gaara-kun," Hinata said, holding up her hands. "Stop. We shouldn't be fighting. This is our first real mission. Let's work together."

"Tch," Tazuna scoffed. "Some _team _you kids are...you sure they're up to this?" he asked as he turned his gaze to Kakashi.

"Oh, they'll do fine," the jounin assured, and there was laughter in his voice.

Gaara, or "Gaaruto" as he would be referred to later (Naruto would be quite proud of himself for this), smirked in a perfect mimicry of his teammate. "We'll do _more _than fine, old man! You just watch! _Let _something come at us! We'll kick 'em to the moon!"

Naruto, or "Naara" (another of Naruto's "ingenious" monikers), scowled. "That is the last thing we need here," he said.

"Oh, c'mon!" Gaara said with a grin. "It'd be fun!"

"Fun. Certainly. I believe we had this discussion earlier. Killing people is _not _my idea of 'fun.'"

"You got no spirit for adventure, Gaara!" Gaara replied. "Need to loosen up!"

"Tch."

Gaara watched, out of the corner of his eye, as the puddle of water that shouldn't be there shifted. He tensed, wondering just how this impromptu strategy of Naruto's would pan out.

He supposed it all depended on just who was following them.

He hoped they were low-ranked thugs, and not seasoned veterans.

A jounin would likely see through Naruto's act in an instant.

* * *

One came for Kakashi, and he let himself be "killed" easily. He needed to see, and the best way to observe his opponents' motives was to let them think they had the upper hand.

The other went straight for Naruto, still in the guise of Gaara, and Kakashi wondered if these two were informed of their opponents, in which case their selection of targets would be sound strategy, considering that no one outside of Konoha knew of Naruto's secret but anyone with ears would have heard of Gaara's, or if it was just simple coincidence.

Or perhaps observation. Hinata and Naruto certainly didn't _look _dangerous, and given that they were genin, it probably wouldn't be a bad assumption that they were the weakest of the group.

Of course, these fools didn't realize just what they were up against.

Naruto let himself be hit, as well, under the pretense of shock, having just seen his sensei incapacitated. Kakashi nodded from his perch atop a tree, pleased to see that he made it look quite convincing.

Gaara and Hinata rushed to Tazuna's side, both feigning sheer terror. Kakashi wanted to laugh.

"Hey, Sensei."

Blinking, Kakashi looked to the side, and saw Naruto perched on the same branch as he was, grinning widely. "Naruto?"

"Hee...pretty good, huh? This is fun."

"So what is your plan now?"

"Heh..._henge no jutsu _is my specialty, Sensei," Naruto said with a wink, and within three seconds he had transformed himself into Hinata. "I'm gonna confuse the hell out of 'em."

Kakashi couldn't deny he was impressed with how well Naruto faked the young Hyuuga's voice (and couldn't get over how strange it sounded to hear Hinata say, "hell out of 'em"). He supposed years as a prankster had certainly built him up for this type of combat strategy.

Naruto ("Hinaruta," which would earn him a most confused, nearly disgusted look from Gaara when he chose to unveil it) dropped down from the tree and rushed into the fray.

* * *

"Ha!" the one with the metal gauntlet on his right arm laughed as he whirled around to face the Hinata rushing in from the trees. "_Bunshin? _Is that the best you brats can do?!"

He struck out with his gauntlet, to swipe the clone in the face and rid himself of it.

The girl blocked his gauntlet with one hand, taking a hit but smirking. She said, "Sorry. Wrong."

She jumped up and kicked the confused ninja in the face.

The other Hinata, the real one, used the opportunity to strike out in a lightning-fast flurry of attacks to the other one, the one with the gauntlet on his left arm.

They were only dazed for a moment, but that was all that was needed.

Naruto smirked and reached out with his right arm, toward the discarded gourd lying on the ground near where Gaara had fallen.

The sand reacted and flashed forward.

Right-Gauntlet's eyes widened. "The hell?! I thought you said the _red-haired _brat used sand, not the blonde idiot!"

Left-Gauntlet growled. "Shut up!"

The sand wrapped around the pair and hardened.

Naruto smirked. "...Oops."

He dropped the illusion. "I forgot to tell you..._I'm _the red-haired brat."

One of the Hinatas shifted into Naruto. "And _I'm _the blonde idiot. You guys should pay more attention."

Tazuna blinked, clearly shaken and unable to comprehend what had just transpired.

And when Kakashi appeared, knocking the two enemy ninja unconscious with two well-paced strikes to each neck, he looked about ready to faint.

"...Well, _that _certainly didn't go as expected," the jounin muttered.

Naruto laughed. "Sure it did! Planned it all out like this!"

Settling his gourd onto his back, Gaara shifted his shoulders. "I'm impressed, Naruto. Quick thinking."

"Heh-heh. My first fight. Had to make it good."

Hinata was smiling widely. "You were great, Naruto-kun!"

"Yeah...I know." His grin reached his ears.

Kakashi smirked beneath his mask. "Good work, you three. I'll take it from here."

* * *

As their commander gleaned information from their two attackers, Squad Seven basked in the full glory of their first real victory.

"That was _awesome!" _Naruto said, eyes sparkling. "We kicked _ass!" _

"Sometimes you surprise me, Naruto," Gaara said. "That _henge _switch-up worked rather well."

"Hey, it's what I do best. Confusin' the enemy's fun, and it does us good. Screw with their heads and they won't hit back."

Gaara nodded. "Indeed."

"I almost forgot you were imitating each other," Hinata said with a chuckle. "You're good actors, Naruto-kun, Gaara-kun."

"Heh," Naruto flashed a thumbs-up. "Bein' Gaara's fun."

Gaara chuckled. "Thank you...I think."

Naruto laughed.

Then he stopped, as if remembering something. "Hey...Hinata! I wanted to ask ya somethin'."

"Hm?"

Pantomiming a series of punches, he said, "What wazzat thing you did to that guy? You were all, pow, pow, pow-_pow!_ Couldn't even see yer hands! That was awesome!"

Hinata blushed slightly. "T-That was...jyuuken, Naruto-kun. You've seen it before..."

"Not like that! That was cool! Huh, Gaara?"

Naruto continued mimicking his kunoichi companion's attack string, adding in sound effects where he deemed them prudent, throwing in his own additions at random points.

"Impressive," Gaara said. "It looked as though you had rendered the man immobile."

Hinata nodded. "He wouldn't have been able to move for at least a minute or so. I-If I did it right, anyway. I don't know."

Gaara smiled. "I'm sure you did. And even if you didn't, it was effective. And that's all that honestly counts."

Hinata nodded. "Right."

"Oi!" came Kakashi's voice. "Come over here."

"Comin', Sensei!" Naruto called back.

The three walked back to where their commander was just finishing his interrogation.

* * *

"It seems there was poison on the nails of their gauntlets," Kakashi said in a bored drawl as his students returned.

Naruto swallowed nervously. He glanced at his hand, scratched and bleeding. "...U-Uh-oh..."

"We need to extract the poison from your wound, Naruto. Sit down, and stay still."

Naruto carefully did as ordered.

"I can handle it," Gaara said.

"Hm?"

"Hold still, Naruto. This will probably hurt."

Holding a hand above the wound, Gaara closed his eyes. Naruto watched as sand crept onto his hand and into the cut. Clenching his teeth against the sudden pain that shot up his arm, he nonetheless obeyed and stayed stone-still as Gaara's sand probed the wound and sucked up the poison.

When it was done, Naruto was sweating. "Damn..." he whispered shakily. "That..._frickin' _hurt...!"

"Gomen," Gaara said.

"I have something that might help, Naruto-kun," Hinata said, and extracted a small tub of something from a pouch under her coat. She spread a light, greenish substance on his hand. "That should make the pain lessen."

Flexing his fingers, Naruto nodded. "Yeah...I can feel it working. Thanks, Hinata! Oi, Sensei. Who're these guys, anyways?"

Kakashi nodded slightly, making a note in his mind, and sighed. "It seems these two are chuunin-level ninja from Kirigakure, the Hidden Mist. They're known for being especially notorious fighters, going full-on no matter the odds. A visceral pair."

The three genin looked at the two.

Chuunin?

_These guys are at Iruka-sensei's level? _Naruto wondered.

"How did you spot us?" one of the ninja asked.

"Fuck _that," _the other spat, "how'd you _beat _us?!"

"It's a sunny day," Kakashi said, "and it hasn't rained recently...as my student pointed out. A water puddle wouldn't exist in those circumstances."

"If you knew they were there the whole time," Tazuna said, "then why'd you let the kids fight?"

"I had to discern their target," Kakashi said. "Whether it was you, Tazuna-san, they were after, or someone from my team. After Gaara – or Naruto, actually – and I were thought incapacitated, they went for you. So...it seems you misled us."

Kakashi's single eye was cold and sharp.

Tazuna frowned, twitching slightly. "U-Uh..."

"You never mentioned being the target of shinobi," Kakashi went on. "You hired us to protect you from gangs and robbers. Civilians. Not soldiers. We were to defend you while you finished your bridge. If you'd been forthcoming with _all _of this information, this mission would have at _least _been an expensive B-rank."

Tazuna looked down at the ground.

"Apparently you've your reasons," the jounin muttered, "but you're giving us trouble by lying. Had these three been typical genin, they very well could have died. Because you lied to us. You're just lucky this squad is so exceptional, or you would have the deaths of three children on your conscience."

Despite the sudden realization that their mission was so much more dangerous, the young trio couldn't help but glow with pride at the compliment.

"So...Tazuna-san...mind being _honest _with me now...?"

* * *

"They..._failed?!" _

Zabuza resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He hadn't expected the two to actually succeed in assassinating the old man, had even ordered the "Onikyoudai" to hold back and be especially cautious.

Although he had to admit that the overwhelming defeat had surprised him. These genin weren't ordinary; that was for certain. But...he supposed he couldn't expect anything less from a legend like the Copy Ninja.

"I pay an _exorbitant _amount of money to hire you because you're _supposed _to be skilled ninja!! What's the meaning of this?!"

_Don't bullshit me, you old hack, _Zabuza thought, annoyed to no end that he'd been interrupted for _this _again_. You hire use because we don't matter. Our villages don't want us...want us _dead. _We're nobody. Which makes us the perfect fodder for your world-domination scheme. _

"Tch," Zabuza reached back and grabbed his weapon, a huge, single-bladed, exceedingly heavy sword that a normal man wouldn't have even been able to lift.

Pointing the gigantic blade at his "employer," Zabuza narrowed his eyes. "It's not over yet. I had _hoped _that my subordinates could handle so simple a mission, but apparently I'll have to do it myself..."

"They're on guard now, you idiot!" Gatou snarled. "And they're _good! _Or did you miss the fact that three _genin, _the lowest rank you stupid shinobi _have, _managed to take down _two _chuunin who had the jump on them!!"

"Rank is a formality, Gatou-_san_," Zabuza snapped. "Or did _you _miss the fact that _I _don't _have _a rank anymore? These brats are good, considering. But that doesn't mean a damn thing. Who do you think I am? I'm not called the 'Demon of the Mist' because of my fashion sense...I'll handle this mission easily. So don't wet yourself."

In truth, Zabuza wasn't entirely sure how easy this mission would be, now. Kakashi's team was a _lot _better than he'd anticipated, and while that really wasn't saying much, it still altered things quite a bit.

He grinned beneath the bandages covering his mouth.

This was going to be _good..._

* * *

_**  
A note, just in case: "Onikyoudai" translates to "Demon Brothers." I was going to use the dub's version, but thought the original had a better flow.**_

_**This fight was tough; I'm not sure if I really portrayed everything I wanted to. But for everyone who wanted Naruto to be a bit smarter...how's that work? I've always thought Konoha's resident prankster would be more adept at messing with the enemy than he showed early in the canon series; I just figured having a team he couldn't work with just held him back.**_


	21. 2, 10: The Heart of the Matter

_**Sorry for the huge delay. I'm trying to get back on track for all of my stories, but sometimes inspiration just doesn't come. I hope I may be forgiven. And I promise you that the next chapter will showcase the first fight between Team Kakashi and Zabuza...so stay tuned, so to speak.**_

_**Enjoy.**_

* * *

It hadn't really taken much convincing. 

"Most of the village's ninja learn all their skills there," she had said. "And what if I happen to be working alongside them sometime? Shouldn't I know how they think, so that I can work _with _them instead of _against _them?"

Some of the more obstinate elders of the clan might have said that they would preferred to stay as far away from _them _as possible, but Hyuuga Hiashi was nothing if not pragmatic.

"Pride may be worth dying for," he might have said in response to those elders, "but foolishness is not."

"Besides," she had went on, "Neji-san went there. And look at him. First in his class, and now he works under Maito Gai."

Hiashi had wrinkled his nose in obvious distaste at the mention of that man, but Hiashi was intelligent as well, and knew better than to say that Gai was a bad ninja.

He was one of the Leaf's finest.

"Neesan went there," she dared to add, "and now _she _is working under Hatake Kakashi. You've heard the reports, Chichiue. She's getting stronger. How couldn't she, with a tutor like _him?"_

A glare settled on her father's face, but he said nothing. As displeased as he was with his firstborn daughter, he couldn't deny she _was _growing, just as he couldn't deny Gai's skill.

And as tired as he was of hearing about his daughter's commander (everyone he associated with seemed to bring it up), Hiashi had to admit that if anyone could turn meek little Hinata into a Hyuuga, it would be Hatake Kakashi. And from the looks of it, he was doing just that.

So, he had no real answer to why Hanabi should not enter the academy, as her sister had. There was no reason why learning the basics wouldn't assist her greatly in future private tutelage under her father.

The elders, of course, disagreed. The academy was for outsiders and Branch members; true Hyuuga learned from their own. From blood flowers greatness, they said. To uproot Hanabi, they said – following the foolish metaphor – and replant her with the likes of _those _ones, would cause her to wilt, wither and die, her great potential untapped.

Hiashi waved them off. He wasn't one for metaphors. Poetics had been his brother's department; he had nothing to do with it.

"Very well," Hiashi had said. "You shall go. But know this; I expect you to follow your _cousin's_ example..._not _your sister's."

Hanabi nodded.

And it was done.

* * *

She wasn't sure why she had wanted to enter the academy. She supposed it might have been because of how much her sister had liked it. Learning to become a soldier alongside her best friends...surely a rewarding experience. 

Another part of it might have been because learning from her family was just so _boring. _They went on and on about the "greatness" they held, even though most of the people who taught her hadn't been in a true, honest fight in years, and never really _taught _her much of anything.

Hiashi did, of course. Lectures weren't his style. He preferred to go hands-on, and _show _his student's ineptitude instead of brow-beating them into admitting it. That way, the lessons stuck, and the desire to _improve_ was born, instead of simple resignation that wouldn't help anyone except a gravedigger in need of clientele.

But even training with her father hadn't felt worth it for Hanabi. All too often, Hiashi would add a vehemently indignant soundtrack to their training with longwinded lamentations about how disappointing Hinata was, and even though he accented those monologues by praising Hanabi's own skill, it was still highly uncomfortable.

She was decidedly pleased when she ended up in Umino Iruka's class. There were any number of other instructors at the academy, several of which might be considered better, but Hanabi had been hoping to follow in her sister's footsteps and enter into the classroom of the most beloved – if not _best – _teacher in Konoha.

Upon entering into the class for the first time, however, she'd realized that perhaps she had made a mistake.

Looking around the room, at the people she would be sharing a class with for the next four to five years (there were legends circulating that Uchiha Itachi and Hatake Kakashi, most notably, had graduated from the academy in a single year, but Hanabi was nothing like _those _two, and she was modest enough to admit that), Hyuuga Hanabi suddenly longed for the cold, distant halls of her own compound.

She sat down at one of the only available seats and tried to drown out the sounds of her "classmates'" giggling, shouting, and cacophonizing (a word of her own creation because real words just wouldn't suffice), and thought that if she couldn't go back home, she could at least hope for sweet, silent death.

When Iruka stepped into the room that first day, she lowered her hands from her ears and slumped forward in her seat, resting her chin on the cool wood.

"All right! Quiet down, everyone!"

Iruka's voice carried well, and a few students did listen, but the majority did not.

"_NOW!!"_

The suddenness of the snarled command probably shocked the rest of the room into silence more than it compelled them to obey him. Hanabi blinked, surprised that the man her sister had described so often as docile, friendly, and patient to a fault could have such a sharp, loud voice.

When all was quiet, a sunny smile rose on the young man's face. "Good. What say we get the trivialities out of the way first, shall we?"

He turned and scratched his name on the blackboard. "That's my name, there. Umino Iruka. Most of you probably know that already."

He turned back around.

"Now, most of you probably also know why you're here. I have been commissioned to instruct you. Shape you, mold you, and a bunch of other clever metaphors. By the time you leave this room for the last time, you should have the proper experience and knowledge to join the ranks of our village's ninja corps."

He swept his gaze over every face in the room.

"I'm going to be frank with you all, because it wouldn't be fair of me, otherwise. This won't be fun and games. It won't be glorious. It won't be gratifying. Not if I teach you correctly.

"What you are embarking on is the beginning of a journey that will most likely end in a premature death. I'm not going to sugarcoat what we're going to be doing here. You're here, and that means you will be treated like soldiers in training. You aren't children anymore."

Something in Iruka's face told Hanabi that that statement hit _him _much more poignantly than it did any of his new students.

"I'm not here to teach you academics. I'm to teach you to kill. That principle is at the heart of a ninja's job. A ninja exists to kill.

"A florist has the creative vision and patience to create beautiful works of art with flowers. A painter can blur the line between reality and falsehood with only a brush and a canvas. An author can use words to send us to other worlds.

"We ninja have our own art, and that art is death. We deal _with _death, we deal _in _death, we deal _out _death. Your parents believe you are talented enough to become proficient in that art, for the good of the village, and _that_ is why I am here."

He began to pace, and Hanabi watched his every movement studiously.

"Some people might tell you that a ninja should _enjoy _the art of death just as much as a sculptor, painter, florist, or author loves their own."

Murmurs of consent on that point. Many _had _heard it.

Hanabi had, although not in so blunt a fashion. Many of her elders had told her that a Hyuuga must thrive on challenge, must revel in the search for perfection.

The only way to do that was to, as Iruka put it, love the art of dealing death.

The chuunin's eyes grew hard.

"Those people are parasites."

Hanabi's eyes widened.

Many of the other students gasped.

"If I do my job correctly, not a single _one _of you will feel the 'thrill of the hunt.' That is _not _what I am teaching you. I am teaching you to kill for the benefit of this village. I am teaching you to become soldiers to protect those who live under our protection, and that is the _only _reason you should _ever _seek to end another life."

He turned back to the blackboard and wrote something down. Turning back to the class, he read it aloud without looking at it.

"'Noble is the blade which bites to keep the blossom in the light; wicked is the blade which thrusts to keep itself from gaining rust.'"

Hanabi had a feeling that her uncle, Hizashi, would have liked that saying.

She also had a feeling that her father would not.

"My own instructor, when I was not much older than you, taught me that. And I have lived by it ever since. It's an important distinction that keeps us separate from beasts. We're not beasts. We don't run on instinct. We may _use _instinct, as much as we may have, to assist us in battle...but we aren't slaves to it."

Hanabi wondered if any of the other students understood half of what he was saying.

As if reading her mind, Iruka chuckled. "Many of you probably don't really understand what I'm saying right now. Not sure how it pertains to getting stronger, learning martial arts, and getting to play with knives. Because I'm sure at least a few of you are here for that specific reason.

"But you _will _understand. By the time we're done, whether it be in one year or ten, you will understand precisely what that saying means, what it signifies, and just why you should take it to heart."

Hanabi felt compelled to raise a hand.

Iruka saw it and nodded. "Yes?"

"You're telling us that we're here to learn how to kill, and that we're going to die doing it. That doesn't seem like a good way to do things. Are you trying to scare us into leaving the academy?"

"Trying? No." Iruka shook his head. "But if what I have said manages to keep even one of you who isn't up to the task of becoming a ninja from taking a path that isn't right for you, then I've done my job.

"I'm not trying to purposefully scare you, but I'm not going to blind you all to the truth of it, either. That would be worse than scaring. That would be misleading. And I can't afford to do such a thing, because doing so might get you killed."

He turned and looked around the room. "So, if any of you feel you don't want to take part in this, if it seems like too much, I urge you to leave now. Please. Because I don't want anyone to go into this line of work without truly wanting to.

"Ours is a noble goal. We, as ninja, defend the defenseless. We are taught skills that others cannot achieve, in order to protect them. And if you manage to prove yourselves, and join Konoha's ranks, you will have the gratitude and admiration of everyone in the village. You will live knowing that you are protecting your home and your people.

"If that isn't enough for you to risk your lives...then please, leave."

A few did.

Iruka nodded. "Good."

"...Bein' a ninja's pretty crazy, huh?"

Hanabi blinked and turned to the speaker, who was sitting next to her; a boy around her age with messy black hair and goggles propped up on his forehead, much as she remembered Naruto doing before he'd received his _hitai-ate._

"Hi," the boy said with a grin that, again, reminded the young Hyuuga of her sister's crush. "Konohamaru."

"...Hanabi."

"Good t' meetcha, Hanabi. Hey...you got the same eyes as one of Naruto-niichan's friends. You guys related?"

"...Yes. Hinata is my sister."

"Hinata. That's right. Well, cool. That's cool. I—"

"Shall I take the rest of the class outside, Konohamaru? I'd hate to interrupt your discussion."

The boy squeaked and turned his eyes forward. "U-Uh...no, Sensei! Sorry!"

Iruka rolled his eyes. "...Another Naruto..." he whispered under his breath.

Konohamaru heard, and it apparently made him happy because he grinned again.

"I take it you know him," Iruka said.

"Sure!"

"...Well, you may act like Naruto...but don't think it'll be easy to get through my class just because _he _managed to pull a fast one on everyone and pass without doing any work. I won't tolerate a student like that again."

"Niichan got through, and everyone says he's kickin' butt!"

"Yes, he's doing well, but that comes from having friends who pushed him into doing the work that he refused to do in class."

Konohamaru snorted. "Sure."

Iruka groaned. "...That kind of attitude will get you killed. Keep in mind that I reevaluated Naruto's final performance and gave him a passing grade. He only got through and received a _hitai-ate _because _I_ decided he was ready. If you aren't ready, I _won't_ pass you. And judging by your attitude...I don't think you will be. So I do hope you prove me wrong."

"Oh, you bet I will!"

"...I look forward to it."

The look on the chuunin's face told Hanabi that he wasn't looking forward to it at all.

And yet...from the slight curving of his lips as he continued speaking...maybe he was, just a little.

Konohamaru, clearly not listening again, leaned forward and rested his head on one hand. "I wonder what Niichan's doin' right now...think he's fightin' some enemy ninja?"

"I...don't know. I don't think so. Neesan told me they were on a C-ranked mission."

Konohamaru frowned. "That sucks...sounds boring."

* * *

"Naruto, are you going to dance all the way through the mission?" 

"Maybe!"

"Naruto-kun, we know you're proud, but...but this is a serious mission. A lot more serious than we thought. I...I think maybe we should go back."

"Until we know _all _the details about this mission," Kakashi cut in, and glanced pointedly at Tazuna as he stepped into the boat, "we will continue as planned. If it turns out this team is ill-equipped to handle the situation, it may be better to go back."

"Ill-equipped? Screw that! We're plenty equipped!"

"You've done well so far, but don't let it go to your head. A fortune-teller can see the future correctly ten thousand times, but it will only take one misinformed client to string him up and watch him hang."

"...Huh?"

"You can get it right as many times as you want," Gaara said, "but you can only get it wrong once. Be careful, in other words."

"Oh. Well, yeah. 'Course. I'm careful. I'm plenty careful!"

"Yes..." Kakashi murmured noncommittally. "Plenty careful. Come on, you three. Let's move."

They climbed into the boat after their commander. Tazuna came last. The rower pushed away and began steering them toward their destination, face impassive as stone.

"So," Kakashi began conversationally, but with a hard edge to his voice, "how about we get the _whole _story this time. Play straight with me, Tazuna-san, or we're leaving."

Tazuna frowned. "...Fine."

* * *

As Tazuna explained the true depths of his trouble, Zabuza and Haku watched silently from the sidelines. 

"I'll catch them when they get off the boat," Zabuza said. "It's time I see just what Konoha's conjured for this one...keep an eye on everything, Haku. Understand?"

"Of course, Zabuza-sama."

Growling, the missing-nin shook his head.

"...Why not strike now? Surely it would put us at an advantage to bring them into the water?"

"If I wanted an advantage, I'd use one."

"...This is a game to you, isn't it?"

"I suppose you could call it that."

"One thing worries me, Zabuza-san."

"What?"

"The girl. Her eyes."

"The hell? Don't tell me you're getting starry-eyed poetic on me, now."

"Nothing of the kind. I'm serious. Those eyes hold the byakugan. It will see through mist as clearly as through air. Your...silent arts will be largely nullified against that one."

"Tch. Idiocy. Just because she can _see _doesn't mean she'll be able to _do _anything."

"Aren't you the one who said not to underestimate the enemy?"

"That doesn't mean you shouldn't prioritize them. The girl's the least of your worries. It's the other two you should be worried about, if you're going to worry at all."

"She seems delicate...but then, so do I."

He winked.

Zabuza grunted disgustedly. "Fuckin' pretty-boy pansy...I oughtta sell you. I'm sure _some _fat old man will find a use for you."

"Now, Zabuza-sama, that isn't nice. Don't you love me?"

"What I _love _is _silence. _Now shutcher fuckin' face and watch."

Holding back a laugh, Haku did as ordered.

* * *

"So, instead of finding money, or telling us up front that you couldn't pay right now, for a B-rank or higher...you lie. Gatou is after you, one of the richest men in the world. Your bridge is the only thing stopping him from taking over this region, and he has scores of shinobi at his disposal to get rid of you...and you hire genin." 

"Oh, I know it's not in your job description. You're right. You should go back. I'll most likely be killed when you do, but...oh, it's not your fault."

Gaara clenched his teeth.

"My grandson will cry...he'll cry fit to flood, oh yes!" Tazuna continued, clearly over-dramatizing. "And my dear daughter will hold a grudge against Konoha shinobi for the rest of her life, and our village will be destroyed! But...that's not your concern. It's not in the job description. Go ahead and—"

"One more word demonizing us after we've already risked our lives for you once, and I throw you overboard," Gaara hissed.

Tazuna stopped.

"Got some gall callin' _us _out when _you're_ the one who lied," Naruto added. "Think we forgot? Think we don't care? I'm all up for fighting. Gotta test myself, ya know. But you got no right tryin' to guilt us into a mission we didn't agree to."

Silence.

"...We'll escort you," Kakashi said finally. "This shouldn't be anything we can't handle. The bridge is almost finished, is it not?"

Tazuna nodded, sobered.

"Fine. The mission goes on. But don't think you'll be paying for a C-class escort mission. You _will _pay what this mission is worth, in one way or another. I will not have my students cheated."

A sullen nod.

Kakashi nodded in turn. "Glad to see we understand each other. Now we can work together."

He turned to Hinata, who had been silent through the entire conversation thus far. She seemed distracted, looking out at the water.

"Hinata? What is it? Do you see something?"

She shook her head.

"Something's bothering you."

"Yeah, spill," Naruto put in. "What's up?"

She turned her eyes to her companions.

"...I think we're being followed."

* * *

_**Dun-dun-DUN...**_

_**It's starting, folks. The real meat of the Wave Country Arc.**_

_**I said once that I would be exploring Hanabi's character for the purpose of giving her one...but that isn't really why. I mean, it's part of it, but another part, a larger part, is to give myself something to write when I'm not sure where to go with the main plot. Hopefully, you still find it interesting.**_

_**Well, this is it for now. I'll do my best to update sooner this time, but fight scenes are tough. **_

_**'Til then, take it easy.**_


	22. 2, 11: Kirigakure

_**I am exhausted.**_

_**This took absolutely forever to figure out and get written, and I'm extremely sorry for making you wait so long. So many other things took hold of me, and I just couldn't find the spark. I've finally figured it out, and here you go. Sorry for those of you who thought I'd forgotten or given up. That isn't going to happen.**_

_**I apologize in advance for the ending, and I hope you enjoy it.**_

* * *

"It may be true that the girl is weak," Haku said idly as he watched his master, "but her eyes still present a problem. Blind them, and you blind the team." 

Tightening his headband, Zabuza nodded distractedly. "Of course. Strike from silence, strike from shadow. Let the target trust that their back is safe, lull the target into thinking an attack cannot come. Strike when their surety dictates you cannot. I remember the old doctrines well."

"Her teammates will be blinded most poignantly by anger. The two boys are protective of her. I cannot say for certain the same of Kakashi-sama."

Zabuza snorted. "Nobody can ever be certain when it comes to _Kakashi-sama._That's what I'm counting on."

"Then the blonde one. He's most likely to crack on seeing a partner fall. The other boy is much more composed. He won't allow himself to falter from one death. But if _two_ of his teammates are down, he's likely to slip."

"I'm not so sure," Zabuza muttered. "That one looks like he'd snap at the slightest. Off-kilter, that red-haired kid."

"Self-preservation isn't something that the insane bother thinking about. If he does lose control, he will only wish to kill you, not to survive the killing. It'll be easier to deal with him if that happens."

There was no joviality in the air now. No playful banter. Both faces were stone-set, eyes intent and focused, bodies coiled tight and ready to move at the slightest signal.

_This_was the Demon of the Mist...and the ANBU he had taken as his protégé.

"I want you to observe, Haku. Observe and nothing else."

Haku nodded curtly. "Of course."

"If things get too far out of hand, do what you must. But remember their movements. Remember their strategies. If I cannot deal with them this time, then we will be properly prepared for a counterattack."

"Of course," Haku repeated. "I remember the old doctrines well. I will not fail you, Master."

Momochi Zabuza stood tall. "Keep that in mind."

He took a deep breath that shook not with fear, but anticipation.

"We have a mission to finish."

* * *

Now that Hinata had mentioned it, Naruto and Gaara both understood what she meant. Another's eyes were on them, and theirs was not the idle gaze of a civilian. 

"W-What are you talking about?" Tazuna asked hurriedly, eyes widening. "How...what...?"

A sudden, sharp impact to the air about her signaled the activation of Hinata's bloodline limit. The veins around her eyes bulged, their pupil-less depths seeming to swirl like silver cyclones.

"I can't find anyone..." she murmured softly, surprised, "but I'm sure of it. I _know_someone is following us."

"Keep up your guard," Kakashi said idly. "Even if you're wrong, caution will not hinder us. Where the first two failed, Gatou surely has others to send. And with other shinobi, you can almost never trust your eyes."

"Our eyes cannot be fooled," Hinata muttered, clearly confused that her byakugan couldn't find traces of the enemy she was so certain was there. "Our eyes are infallible. Our eyes see through every lie. Through every falsehood. Into the heart of the enemy."

"I've heard many Hyuuga repeat that. A clan-wide mantra, it seems." Kakashi turned his attention forward again, continuing to walk. "No offense meant to your clan, Hinata, but placing so much faith in one's sight is not doing them any favors. There are shinobi who intentionally blind themselves to use their other, more reliable senses most effectively. The eyes are the first sense to be fooled by our arts. Don't be surprised that you can't see them. Whomever you think you sense is probably already gone, or using some other means to see us."

"But...there's_ somebody..._right?"

"Most likely."

"So what are you going to do?" Tazuna asked, eyes flitting back and forth.

"What we were hired to do," Kakashi murmured distractedly, still looking like he always did: bored out of his mind. "I wouldn't be worried, Tazuna-san. It seems whoever is out there is at least more cautious than the first two. It should be some time before they show themselves."

Though this seemed to calm their charge a bit, the three genin knew the truth behind that statement. If the enemy currently following them was being cautious, it meant one of two things.

Either they were intimidated by them, having heard of how quickly they had dispatched the first pair of attackers, which was probably the scenario Tazuna was thinking, or at least hoping for.Or they were simply more experienced. In that scenario, cautiousness was only the proverbial calm before the storm.

That the enemy had eluded the byakugan, despite its user being inexperienced, pointed heavily to the latter.

* * *

"You look high-strung." 

"Indeed."

Sandaime turned his attention from the window to the pair seated across from his desk. "Perhaps I _am._Preparations for the exams are taking a toll, I admit. Therefore I must ask that you keep this business as brief as possible. What is it you wanted to discuss with me?"

Ebisu cleared his throat and smoothed his shirt. "Yes, well...the Council has a bit of a problem, you see. And with the exams coming up, the issue has arisen again."

Sandaime sighed heavily. "Uchiha Sasuke, right?"

Asuma, seated to the left of Ebisu, chuckled. "Saw this coming, did you?"

"They want a reason, I'm sure, for my allowing such a precious commodity as his blood outside the village."

"He_was_the last of his bloodline," Ebisu said.

Sandaime's eyes were hard. "And that is the crux of my decision to let him go."

Ebisu blinked. "...What?"

Asuma, too, seemed surprised by this statement.

"Uh...no offense meant, Oyaji," the bearded jounin said, "but I think you might be smoking a bit too much lately."

The comment was made lightly, perhaps with the intent to brighten the elderly ninja's somber mood, but if anything, it further darkened it.

"The Uchiha were one of our village's founding clans," Sandaime said. "They have, throughout Konoha's history, been integral to its prosperity. The sharingan has been a secret weapon to our people for several generations."

"That is precisely what the Council has been saying for years," Ebisu interjected. "The Uchiha have long held one of our strongest assets."

"Until now."

"Yes, until now."

"You aren't endorsing the elders' views on this," Asuma said. "If you did, you'd have long since tried bartering with Suna to get the kid back. So obviously you have an ulterior motive here."

"When did the Uchiha fall?"

"Pardon?"

"Who broke that noble clan's strength? Was it Sasuke?"

"Well..." Ebisu said, "obviously _not_, Hokage-sama. It was Uchiha Itachi that..."

"Exactly. Uchiha Itachi destroyed the prosperity and wide-heralded strength of his clan. He betrayed us all, and took with him many of our strongest shinobi. Not the least of those was his young brother."

Asuma frowned. "You're saying we lost Sasuke long before he went to Suna."

"Exactly. Uchiha Sasuke was lost to us the day his clan died. His ability to trust was dashed completely. No matter what we tried, he would never trust us again. How could he? We would simply be putting up the same façade as Itachi. We would be sincere, but how could he know that? How could we prove that?"

Asuma's frown deepened, and he blew smoke out of one corner of his mouth. "I guess we couldn't."

"Keeping Sasuke here would only cause the Council of Elders and untold civilians to place their every hope on him. Sasuke would be the last Uchiha, the last of our greatest weapons, and as such would be forced into being something he couldn't. He is what remains of a broken past, for himself and for us. The Uchiha are lost to this village, and it would have done nothing but cripple us to keep him here."

"What do you mean?" Ebisu said. "Keeping him here would have kept him allied to—"

"The Kazekage remains an ally, Ebisu," Sandaime cut in, "and as such Sasuke does as well. That is beside the point. The point is, we are strong enough to move beyond the shadow of the sharingan. The art remains with us, in Kakashi, but the Uchiha are not necessary to ensure prosperity. Not anymore. Keeping Sasuke here would have kept so many of us thinking that.

"And that would have hurt the village much more than losing an all but forgotten art. Better to learn to adapt without than force a child to take on the mantle of an entire clan."

Sandaime sighed heavily, eyes shifting as he regarded his audience. "Do you understand?"

"If a man loses an eye to infection," Asuma muttered, "it's better to take it out to _stop _the infection, and learn to see with the other, than let the sickness spread."

"Exactly. Sasuke agreed immediately to stay with the Hidden Sand. He was not one of us. And if we had tried to force him to be, he would have rebelled. Best to let him go, that he may have _some_ fond memories of his time here, while we adapt to continuing without him."

Asuma sighed, a slight, unbidden smile coming to his face.

"...Here I was thinking the Council may be right. You're Hokage for a reason, Oyaji."

Ebisu nodded almost sullenly. "...Indeed. Your reasoning is sound as always, Hokage-sama."

Sandaime nodded, satisfied to have made his point, and the matter was put aside.

"Now..." he said, a moment later, "...might anyone want to explain to me how Konohamaru managed to break every window in the academy without_ anyone_ catching him?"

* * *

Even though they heard it coming, if Kakashi hadn't told his students to duck, they would have been decapitated long before they'd been able to react. 

The gigantic zanbatou flew over their heads even as they dropped to the ground, slamming through the bark of a nearby tree with the resounding _crack_ of ten-thousand twigs snapping at once.

When they lifted their heads, a figure stood on the handle of the grossly over-sized weapon, looking down at them with his back turned.

The man's top half was uncovered, revealing heavily toned muscles and – perhaps more intimidating – nearly unmarked skin. From the first glance, it was clear that this man was no novice. This was no nameless thug to be bought and sold without repercussion. As he watched them, the ninja's body was stone-still, without even the slightest twitch. The _hitai-ate_ that sat slightly askew atop his wiry, jet-black hair bore the mark of the Hidden Mist.

He wore bandages wrapped around the bottom half of his face, masking his expression, but the three genin had a suspicion that he was smirking at them.

Yet, somehow, in the next breath they knew that he wasn't.

His face, like the rest of him, was as impassive as stone.

Kakashi's voice was at a normal, conversational volume, but the overbearing silence, draped over them like a blanket over the sheet of mist, made it painfully loud.

"Well, well...I think I recognize you...could it be...Momochi Zabuza-kun? Kirigakure's finest exile? My...what a nice surprise."

The gray-haired jounin's eye betrayed the falsity of his lilting tone. He stared at the other ninja with a blazing intensity his students had never seen before.

He certainly didn't look bored anymore.

"Who cares what his name is?" Naruto asked, maintaining bravado with only the slightest shake betraying his nervousness. "We can take 'im. Let's do thi—"

_"No."_

That one syllable was the very essence of refusal. A sharp, cold command. Kakashi didn't turn toward his student, but Naruto stopped short and swallowed past a sudden lump in his throat.

"Not this one," the jounin continued. "You may have done well against the others...but this man is of an entirely different league."

"W-Who...?" Hinata began.

"Defend Tazuna. Stay back, and don't interfere. That is your mission. Those are your orders. _I_ will handle him. Am I understood?"

There was no question of the seriousness of that mission, of those orders. Naruto stepped back beside his teammates and they fell into formation around their charge, with Hinata to the right side, Naruto to the left, and Gaara between them, directly in front of Tazuna's quavering, clearly terrified form.

All the while, the man named Zabuza's coal-black eyes gleamed with malignant deliberation.

* * *

Naruto's brave front, the sliver of confidence he'd gained so far, washed away in a sudden wave of dread. The implications of the things Gaara so often said, most reiterated from lectures by Iruka that he hadn't paid much attention to, about being a ninja, about risking his life, came full force into the limelight, and he finally understood the immensity of it. 

The other two, the chuunin that they had managed to defeat, hadn't done it. They had seemed unreal. He'd only suffered the slightest of scratches. He had – with his team – beaten them soundly, just like Mizuki.

Here, standing before him, was a fight that Naruto wasn't sure – at all – that he could even survive, much less win.

This Momochi Zabuza, known at a glance by their commander, was the real deal. A no-frills, bona fide assassin. The gigantic sword he stood on so easily was no decoration. This man, this killer, made Naruto wonder if perhaps the Grim Reaper didn't use a scythe after all.

"You would have to be..." came the exiled ninja's deep, gravelly voice, in a tone not unlike Kakashi's, albeit much more overtly threatening because of it, "...Hatake Kakashi. Master of the sharingan."

Naruto blinked.

_Sharingan?_

In his "studies" of bloodline limits, Naruto had of course heard of the mythical sharingan, the trump card of the Uchiha. One of the most important things he had learned about it, and other techniques like it, was that bloodline limits were, by their very definition, limited to a specific family bloodline.

_Is Kakashi-sensei...part of the Uchiha Clan?_

He looked around at his teammates, and saw the same question on their faces.

Kakashi didn't respond verbally to the announcement, only slowly lifted his hand to rest it on his headband, ready to lift it. "If _this_ is our enemy..." he murmured softly, "...then I can't win like this."

Zabuza turned slightly.

"Apologies for any inconvenience," he said, "but I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to hand over the old man."

* * *

Zabuza knew the details of the sharingan well enough. He knew its abilities, the most important being the ability to catch the subtleties of an enemy's jutsu faster than the user's mind could process it, and allow for the further analysis required to copy the jutsu in question. 

He had yet to uncover just how the process worked, but the most important part was the knowledge that it _did,_ and how to counteract it.

Lucky for him, he not only knew that the sharingan _could_ be fooled, but had under his belt the perfect techniques to do it.

He wondered just how formidable Kakashi's left eye was.

"I suppose you aren't going to let this go smoothly for me," he said idly, not the least bothered by the fact. "So I guess I'll have to get rid of you first."

Kakashi was slow in revealing his trump card. He tightened his _hitai-ate_ in the standard position, keeping the heavily scarred eye closed for a moment.

"...Do it, then," he said.

An activated sharingan always turned the user's iris a deep red, but the slight distortions surrounding the pupil were the important thing to note.

Zabuza wasn't surprised to see three in Kakashi's. It was fully matured.

"I'm honored," he said somewhat snidely, "to see this so soon in our...encounter. I guess this means you intend to get rid of me quickly.

"I suppose I shouldn't be surprised...Hatake Kakashi, who has used his sharingan to copy over one thousand jutsu...the Copy Ninja. A fitting name for such a living legend..."

Kakashi didn't respond.

"Well, then, let's get to it. I'd hate to waste your time."

He reached down and gripped the hilt of his weapon.

* * *

As Zabuza leapt off into the mist with a speed that the unaided eye couldn't hope to follow, Gaara turned sharply to regard Hinata, who was already scanning the surrounding area. 

"There!" she whispered fiercely, gesturing. "On the water!"

Zabuza stood, stone-still, as chakra poured out of him into the water of the nearby lake, causing a whirlwind to flow about his feet.

_"Ninpou, kirigakure no jutsu..." _he said slowly, and vanished.

"Hinata, keep track of him," Kakashi said.

Hinata was already following the exile's path.

"He'll either go after me," Kakashi said, "or you, Hinata. Your eyes are the only thing keeping him from invisibility. I can't use this eye to its full potential in this mist, so keep your guard up."

"Who is this guy?!" Naruto demanded. "How do you know him?"

"Momochi Zabuza," Kakashi replied, "a former ANBU of Kirigakure. He specializes in the disciplines of the shinobi of history: that is, swift, silent kills."

"History..." Gaara murmured thoughtfully.

"Before ninjutsu advanced to its current form, primary emphasis was placed on remaining unseen and unheard," Kakashi continued, "because there was little defense to be had if found. Kirigakure, whose defenses lie in hiding in the mist, have maintained this strategy and focuses on keeping the enemy unaware of their presence until the final confrontation, by which time it's too late."

"The mist is getting thicker!" Naruto said quickly. "I can't see anything!"

"This country is surrounded by the ocean," Tazuna said slowly.

"Hinata, can you still see him?" Gaara asked.

"He's running around us in a circle," Hinata answered, eyes flickering back and forth. "I can barely keep track of him. He knows I can see him."

"Naruto and I will defend Tazuna-san," Gaara said. "You keep your eyes on him."

Hinata nodded.

"_Eight..."_ came Zabuza's voice, like the disembodied echo of a malevolent god. Unlike his body, confirmed by Hinata's eyes to be continually moving, the voice was stationary, thrown above their heads and seeming to come from everywhere at once.

_"Eight points," _the man continued. "_Larynx, spine, lungs, liver, jugular, collarbone, kidney, heart."_

Gaara took a deep breath, steadying himself. Naruto saw the sand held in his gourd churning and sifting, ready to move, ready to heed its master's call.

He took some comfort in that. Gaara's sand was their defense. Impenetrable. No matter what Zabuza tried, Tazuna – and they – would be safe.

The mission was still okay.

With Kakashi handling the offensive, and Gaara handling the defensive, there was no way for them to fail.

One_ thousand _jutsu! Kakashi, the _Copy Ninja, _was on their side! He hadn't heard anything like that about his commander before, but even if it was just a legend...

He smiled, allowing himself to think they'd get through this not only alive, but relatively unscathed. The Copy Ninja was on their side.

_"I'll let you choose...which vital point I use to silence you forever."_

The smile faltered.

It felt as if Zabuza was the mist itself, closing in on them, choking them. And he remembered that Kakashi had known Zabuza at a glance, too, and that meant Zabuza was a master, too. He remembered that Kakashi, despite taking down the Onikyoudai without a blink, with that forever-bored expression on his face completely intact and unaltered, had turned stone-cold serious on seeing this one.

Naruto didn't like doubts.

But that didn't stop him from having them.

* * *

Kakashi drew in a deep breath, and Gaara – without an opponent to set his sights on – watched him. He could _feel_the chakra bleeding out of the jounin's body, swirling and quaking and crackling about him. 

He, like Naruto, saw the difference here, and it unnerved him greatly. Kakashi had dealt with their previous opponents without a hitch, with as much effort as one might put into combing one's hair. He hadn't felt a single thing.

But here...here, the concentration, the strength, the _immensity_ of chakra in the air as Kakashi stood against one of his own caliber, was enough to make him shake.

Even the demon, ever confident, lying within him seemed wary of the situation.

He strained to keep calm, to keep vigilant, ready for whatever would come at them, but he could barely keep his mind focused on his teacher's back.

"...Don't worry."

Kakashi's voice cut through the clouding of his mind like a streak of lightning.

"I don't let my comrades fall," he assured, glancing back at them with a smile beneath his mask.

And somehow, that seemed to be the end of it. That affirmation was all that mattered. He'd said it, and thus it was true.

But...

"Are you so sure of that...?"

* * *

Hinata gasped in breath, eyes widening. 

No...it couldn't be!

It...it...it was.

She had failed.

It had fallen to her to keep track of the enemy. That was her job, as given her by her commanding officer. She was to watch, to be the eyes of her team, to warn them, to help them, to protect them...

...And she had failed.

But...but...

How..._how _could it...?

And then the world fell into chaos.

"This...is the end."

* * *

Just as Zabuza tightened his grip and prepared to slice through his four targets in one swing (and by the bulging muscles of his arms, he very likely could have), Kakashi moved. 

But it seemed like the world itself moved for him.

He shot backward, twisting in the air, his own blade in hand before even _he _had realized he'd done it, and slammed into the exiled jounin in the split-second before the others all fell backward.

As soon as the blade sliced into Zabuza's torso, his suspicion was confirmed. As water trickled down and dripped onto the ground, he steeled himself.

"There...there's...two...?" Hinata gasped, eyes alternating from the figure in front of her and some other that only she could see clearly.

And then it clicked. He saw it in her eyes.

"It's a clone!" she shrieked, and Kakashi gave her points for realizing it as quickly as she had, even if it was a few seconds too late to do any good. "Sensei! _Move!!"_

He didn't bother.

Not yet.

* * *

The zanbatou'sblade sliced through Kakashi's prone form like the proverbial hot knife through butter, but Zabuza wondered. 

This couldn't be it.

This wasn't Hatake Kakashi.

It was impossible that a confrontation with one of Konoha's legends would end so quickly. He couldn't be so reliant on his left eye that simple mist would undo him.

No...no way.

But then he saw it.

Water.

He almost laughed.

The form of Kakashi fell apart in a splash and dripped like a miniature rainfall onto the ground, even though Zabuza's mind told him it was impossible.

But it was.

Just as he had used the mist to conceal himself, Kakashi's eye had caught it. And as Zabuza had used a clone to keep the girl distracted, Kakashi had caught _it_ as well.

The sharingan was more powerful than he had given it credit for.

He didn't move as Kakashi's kunai slid up against his throat.

"..._This_ is the end."

Again, Zabuza restrained the urge to laugh.

_This_ was the legend.

_This_ was the reason.

He'd underestimated Kakashi's ability.

And he was immensely glad for it.

But apparently...Kakashi had done the same thing.

* * *

Gaara was the first one back on his feet, and from the way he held himself, it was clear to his teammates that he was ready to loose his sand at the slightest signal. 

He remembered his mission only with the greatest of effort, and quickly positioned himself near Tazuna again. But even as he did, he couldn't turn his eyes away from the spectacle in front of him.

Zabuza had not reacted to this turn-around with fear or surprise, or anything that he should have.

Zabuza was laughing.

"You're good," Zabuza said between chuckles. "You caught my _mizu bunshin _technique when I was sure that you couldn't. You kept my eye on the clone by making it act just as stupidly chivalric as you would, and used _kirigakure _to hide and observe me."

Even as he continued to laugh, Zabuza's coal-black eyes hardened. "But I have to warn you...you won't defeat me with imitations of my own techniques. I can promise you that."

Kakashi stiffened, eyes widening as he realized his mistake, when Zabuza's next statement came from _behind _him.

As the second water clone fell into a puddle at Kakashi's feet, he heard the real Zabuza shift his weight to fall into position.

"...I'm just not that easy."


	23. 2, 12: Demons in the Mist

_**Holy crap, I'm back. I wonder which of us is more surprised, hm? Well, yes, as it turns out, I've not dropped off the face of the earth. I'm still here, and I hope I may be forgiven. As you are well aware, I was on hiatus for quite a while, working on another project, and...well, Naruto kinda slipped off my radar for a while, to put it simply. So inspiration just wouldn't come.**_

_**Finally, though, I hit on something that I think works rather well, and thus we have this. It's a fair bit longer than my usual chapters. Not as much as you deserve, considering how long you've waited, but it's as much as I could manage this time around. Hopefully, it will suffice.**_

_**So, here's hoping you enjoy this. I'll see you again soon, and we'll see where this juggernaut will take us next.  
**_

* * *

"Back into position. Quickly."

The words were calm, but there was an underlying urgency to them that caused Naruto to instantly spring back to his feet. Gaara was already directly in front of Tazuna, and as soon as Hinata and Naruto were with him, he made a sweeping gesture with his hand, and sand shot out from the gourd at his back.

Within seconds, the four of them were encased in a dome of sand. Gaara grimaced. "I have no idea if this will hold up. Hinata, you're our eyes. Keep sharp."

Hinata nodded.

Naruto clutched a kunai in one hand tight enough to make his fist hurt, standing at the ready, but wondering if he was ready at all.

Somehow, he doubted it.

Gaara – ever the rock – simply looked like he was concentrating, but Naruto thought he saw a slight quaver to his friend's body, and wondered just how much nervousness ran beneath the calm façade.

Hinata looked like she was ten seconds away from crying.

Not that Naruto could blame her, though.

_He _kind of felt like crying, too.

This was _not _supposed to happen.

* * *

"You ever wonder..." pause, "...what it's gonna..." pause, "...be like when..." pause, "...we graduate?"

Konohamaru accented every few words with a throw, but none of the shuriken he had vaulted at the target so far had come even close to hitting the mark.

Hanabi, her stance steady and fluid, drew a shuriken of her own from the pouch at her side and threw.

The shot was perfect.

Konohamaru scowled. "Ah...lucky shot." He threw another of his own, and it went wild, nearly slicing off one of Iruka's ears. Having been teaching young ninja for years, the chuunin instructor wasn't fazed in the slightest by this. He simply turned and looked at the offending projectile – quivering in a tree just behind him – as if it had been a butterfly.

Hanabi threw again.

Another bulls-eye.

"I don't know," Hanabi said, somewhat distractedly. "When we graduate, we will be ninja. We will have a job, a duty. I...I guess it will be like it is here, only...real."

Konohamaru frowned curiously.

He looked around, and saw that every one of his fellow classmates had at least managed to hit the target. A couple had managed a bulls-eye, like Hanabi had, but not many.

Konohamaru had thrown more shuriken than any of them, and yet his target was still pristinely, mockingly clear.

Iruka strode forward.

"Indeed, it _will _be real," he said, and Konohamaru blinked, wondering just how good their teacher's hearing was.

Iruka stopped at Konohamaru's target and looked at it. "If this were an enemy shinobi, he'd have been at you already. While it may be true that shuriken don't necessarily make the difference in a mission – many of us use them merely as a distraction – it's far preferable to distract by hitting the enemy than trying to draw his eye away from you. The more you miss, the more confident he will become, and that's only effective if you have a very strong trick up your sleeve."

Iruka raised a questioning eyebrow.

"Do _you _have a very strong trick, Konohamaru?"

The boy that wanted to succeed his grandfather as the best shinobi in Konoha's history blushed furiously and lowered his head.

"...No, Iruka-sensei."

* * *

The sudden appearance of a dome of sand caused Zabuza to start, a split-second of stillness that was all Kakashi needed. As the missing-nin cast a cursory glance at the place where his target had been only moments before, Kakashi vanished.

"So, use the kids as a distraction, huh?!" the missing-nin taunted, laughter in his voice. Zabuza chuckled, made a sweeping gesture with one hand, and sent a clone rocketing toward the defensive dome of sand.

As the clone sliced through the barrier with one sweep of its blade, it crashed into a wave of water. The three genin and their charge were suddenly exposed, and Zabuza had to give the red-haired one credit, as he was the only one of the four who seemed to have expected that.

The blond was gawking at him, the girl looked terrified enough to wet herself, and the old man wasn't too far behind her. He chuckled again.

The fact that the redhead was simply standing there, eyes sharp and steady, body coiled like a spring and ready to strike, only made it all the more amusing.

As expected, Kakashi sprang into view the instant his students were exposed. Zabuza easily swept out of the way of the sharingan master's attack (which wasn't an attack; he was almost positive of that), and had his zabatou at the ready when Kakashi spun on his heel and shot toward him again.

The gigantic sword's edge sliced through nothing but water.

"Aren't _you _a one-trick pony!" Zabuza taunted. "Didn't we just get through with this? You're not going to win like this!"

"One-trick?" Kakashi replied calmly from nowhere. "I've used two, actually."

He suddenly appeared behind Zabuza's back again, and a kunai was once again ready in his hand. "I wonder if _this _one is a clone, too," he murmured.

The blade began its arc.

* * *

"What _are _you doing?!"

He didn't reply immediately. He never did. There was no use talking to the upstart, really, but she couldn't help but make the attempt every time.

Uchiha Sasuke was a rare breed. Temari couldn't help but think that this little brat was _precisely _what her borderline-psychotic brother would have become. A cocky little powder keg. But at least Gaara had always been obedient.

Sasuke had never known the meaning of the word.

"Baki called us in an hour ago, you ingrate! Get moving!"

Temari had tried for a long time to exert the same authority she had over Kankurou onto this one, but it had never really worked. Even when he had first entered into their fold, the last remaining Uchiha had maintained an air of indifference that was altogether infuriating.

He had been a bargaining chip, a consolation prize because Gaara had proved too dangerous, and yet he still acted like he was royalty. Some golden child with leave to do anything he wanted.

Sasuke turned, the pristine white folds of the robe he tended to wear around the village almost blinding her. He slowly began the trek back to the training ground, and Temari couldn't help but think that even though she had come here to tell him off, she suddenly felt as if she were a personal escort.

And it pissed her the _hell _off.

* * *

"...No."

Zabuza dropped, so quickly that it seemed half his body had been sliced clean off, spun on one knee and sent a foot crashing into Kakashi's midriff with enough force to send him flying.

Whirling back up to his feet, the missing-nin shot forward and gripped his opponent's ankle, snapping backward and sending him back to the ground.

The prone form of Hatake Kakashi vanished in a wisp of smoke, leaving a broken tree branch behind in its place. Zabuza tightened his grip on the hilt of his weapon and whirled again.

The real Kakashi dove to avoid the strike, flipping back onto his feet and pushing himself into Zabuza, earning him first blood when a kunai slashed across his chest.

Zabuza leaped backward to collect his wits, smirking beneath the bandages still wrapped tight around his face. "Getting better," he jeered.

"Hmph."

Zabuza seemed to remember what he was supposed to be doing and suddenly diverted his attention to Tazuna, still covered in soggy wet sand, who was cowering behind the three genin who, despite their terror, maintained enough confidence and dedication to their task to earn them the slightest bit of respect in their enemy's eyes.

Not that much, though.

He moved.

Before he could even get a bead on his target, though; before he had even set up the strike; before he had even _thought _to set up the strike...

...Momochi Zabuza's face was hit full-force with what felt like a sack of concrete.

* * *

"You'll get better."

"Meh," was Konohamaru's grumbled response as he kicked around at the dirt beneath his sandals. "Yeah, I know," he added quickly, realizing that Hanabi was trying in her own, notably awkward way, to cheer him up.

"You've only been practicing with shuriken for a few days," she said. "My father has been training me since I was old enough to walk."

That actually seemed to cheer him up a bit, and he raised an eyebrow at her. "That long? I got a tutor, but he doesn't teach me much. Mostly just tells me stuff about responsibility and junk like that. How'm I supposed to be responsible if I got nothing to be responsible _with? _Y'know?"

Hanabi shrugged. "I...could help...if you like?"

Konohamaru blinked.

Stared.

"Seriously?" he breathed. "You'd..."

Hanabi shrugged. "I...don't really know how to teach, but...I could try. If you want to."

"Yeah!" Konohamaru cried excitedly, loud enough to make the young Hyuuga flinch. He flinched in turn and lowered his voice. "Sure! That'd be awesome! Thanks, Hanabi!"

He finished lunch in a much better mood.

Unbeknownst to the two of them, Iruka just so happened to be standing nearby. He turned to Kurenai and raised an eyebrow. "Familiar, isn't it?"

_"Déjà vu, _certainly," the crimson-eyed kunoichi murmured thoughtfully. "Now all they need is a stone-faced self-appointed leader and it would be perfect."

Iruka laughed. "I swear, sometimes I think this village is home to some distorted version of reincarnation where death isn't required."

He turned away from his new students, shaking his head and chuckling to himself as he headed back to his classroom.

* * *

Zabuza stumbled backward, almost losing his footing, more from pure shock than pain. Grimacing away the daze, his eyes darted in every direction, trying to detect just what in the _hell _had hit him.

Then he saw it.

The redhead was moving his arms in wide, waving arcs, and the sand, weighted down even as it was by water, answered his command.

Redhead suddenly shot his arm forward in a jab, palm outward, and the heavy (so _fucking _heavy!) sand jetted toward Zabuza's middle.

The veteran shinobi easily escaped the second attack, but realized only as a sudden shuddering _crack _resounded against the back of his head that this kid had far more control over the sand in that gourd than he let on.

His movements were much more sluggish than they should have been, and it was obvious that the weighted sand took a lot more effort than usual, but the effect was...quite pronounced.

In exchange for speed and fluidity, he had gained a heavy degree of force. Zabuza could feel it, still ringing in his head. Growling in frustration more at his own lack of control than at the kid, he gripped his weapon and prepared to slice the little midget in half.

Then...

_"Kage bunshin no jutsu!"_

Suddenly he was buried in a pile of bodies, all in obscenely orange jumpsuits. He couldn't get a proper grip, covered as he was in so many flailing limbs.

Zabuza closed his eyes.

_Well, shit.  
_

* * *

"He can't move!" Hinata cried, and it was clear from the set of her face that it was difficult even for her eyes to discern their enemy in the middle of such a huge dog-pile of Narutos.

"Heh!" the real Naruto scoffed with a smirk. "Didn't expect _that, _didja? Ha! That's what you get!"

But Gaara and Kakashi didn't look nearly as relieved and ready to let go as Naruto was. Their jounin leader still had an unusually serious look in his mismatched eyes, and Gaara...well, was being Gaara.

The red-haired genin was still keeping his sand in motion, keeping its momentum up with slow, steady, fluid sweeps around him, his arms moving with practiced ease.

And then...

It was like listening to a rumbling stampede of wild animals. The sound was low at first, felt more than heard, steadily gaining in volume. But it was muffled, as if underground.

It was a scream of frustration.

With a sudden lurch, Zabuza erupted from the pile of clones, his eyes wild with fury, muscles bulging as he swept his great weapon around in a wide, crushing arc that caused untold number of Naruto look-alikes to pop into nothingness.

He sprang from the ground directly into a sweeping leap toward Gaara, and sand was there to meet him. But the exiled jounin exploded through the barrier like it was wet paper, and spun on one heel as he sent one tightly clenched fist _crunching _into Gaara's face.

Still bogged down from Zabuza's chakra-fueled water, the protective sand armor that had so often saved Gaara from harm didn't manage it this time, and he flew through the air like a discarded doll, crumpling to the ground with a resounding crash.

He didn't get up.

Zabuza had only enough time to smirk and give a derisive snort before Kakashi was just _there, _and it was clear at a glance that things had just escalated.

Naruto could only stare, dumbstruck and unable to process the image of Gaara, the untouchable, lying in a heap ten feet from him. It just...it...that didn't...didn't _happen!_

It...it...

Impossible.

* * *

"One of the most important things about being a ninja that I _can't _teach you," Iruka said, "is how to react during your first dangerous mission. The first time you come across an enemy."

Konohamaru raised an eyebrow. "Well, _that's _easy," he felt compelled to say. "Just kick his butt!"

A few of the other students laughed, and Iruka chuckled.

"Yes, one would think, and hope, that things would be that simple," came the reply. "But the sad truth of the matter is that it never _is_ that simple. Some of you may look back on your first battle and think it went well. And it may have. But one of the most important things you can't allow yourself to do is panic."

"I won't panic," Konohamaru muttered.

"Many of our best had that same sentiment," Iruka replied, and once again the grandson of the Hokage was reminded that his teacher had unbelievably sharp hearing. "And that is why I teach this way. As I've told you all, being a ninja isn't the glory trip most people think it is; it's about death. And you have to familiarize yourself with death, dying, and killing before you can fully realize your potential. That's why I hope none of you ever _do _fully realize your potential, because the only good war is the one nobody has to fight."

Iruka leaned against his desk and scanned his students. He idly scratched at the scar across his nose, then crossed his arms and hopped up so that he sat on the surface.

"Resign yourself to the death of your opponent," Iruka said. "Because more often than not, that is the only option open to us. The shinobi arts are far more unpredictable than any other martial technique in existence, and your opponent may only need that split-second of hesitation to gain the upper hand. Always assume your opponent is the stronger. Overestimate."

"What if they _aren't?" _another student asked.

"Then count yourself lucky," Iruka said softly.

"You said panicking is _one _of the most important things we cannot let ourselves do," Hanabi said.

"Yes," Iruka nodded. "The other...is anger. Never, _ever, _let anger cloud your judgment. It's the most destructive emotion we have as humans, and it will serve as nothing but a death warrant to us as shinobi. Now, let me clarify: Anger can be a shield. It _can_ be beneficial. But only if it is kept under tight control. And not many of us can do that."

Iruka's eyes narrowed seriously.

"In all my time as a soldier, I have only met one person who can."

* * *

Zabuza realized that he might just be in trouble.

Hatake Kakashi's moods were subtle, just like everything about him. But that only served to make them far more pronounced when they changed.

And if there was one thing that Momochi Zabuza recognized in a person, it was homicidal rage. Kakashi might have looked to the untrained just as cool and collected as always, but Zabuza was anything but untrained.

He fell into that old, old sense of self, dropping into that primal, visceral, instinctual part of himself that had served him so well in exile. No longer was he Momochi Zabuza, former jounin of the Hidden Mist. No longer was he Momochi Zabuza, master of water.

He was a demon.

The Demon of the Mist.

And the frightening thing was...Kakashi kept up with him.

* * *

A dance.

That was the only thing she could really equate it to. But it wasn't a smooth, fluid sort of dance. It was harsh. Sharp. Violent. They clashed, and yet...somehow they didn't.

It wasn't like drills, like when her father had tried to teach her. It wasn't a set of techniques, a cycle of moves ingrained in their minds by memory. Nothing so practiced as that.

Kakashi and Zabuza were both simply trying with absolutely everything they had to inflict pain upon the other. But they were evenly matched, and every blow was met with a countermeasure. Without fail, neither managed to gain the upper hand.

Hinata didn't have to turn her head to see Naruto was still turning every few seconds to look at Gaara. It was all he could do not to abandon his post as Tazuna's side to run over to his friend's. Even the spectacle of their leader finally showing his true prowess couldn't keep Naruto's attention for long.

Gaara was the strong one. Naruto may have never said it, but she knew just the same: the blond idolized him. Gaara was everything he wanted to become. Just as Hinata drew such inspiration from Naruto, did Naruto from Gaara. And to see him actually _hurt _was a blow that hadn't hit just him.

Hinata couldn't remember a single time that Gaara's sand had failed to protect him. Even if Zabuza _had _managed to land a hit like he had, the sand would have spread out like a wave and caught Gaara before he landed, laying him down with all the gentleness of a mother laying her baby down to sleep.

But it hadn't. Gaara had sprawled onto the ground with all the bone-jarring force that Zabuza had intended.

Watching Zabuza now, Hinata realized that he'd been playing with them. Watching him now, she realized that if he'd wanted to, he could have killed Gaara in that first strike with almost no effort at all. Regardless of their talent, regardless of their teamwork, they were still genin, and had only ever fought under the supervision, guidance, and most of all protection of their superiors.

They had no place here.

They had no right to be here.

They were useless.

They—

"_Sensei!"_

* * *

Kakashi didn't stop to think.

There was no time for thinking. Upon hearing his student's voice, he instantly whirled. With the sort of speed that blurred the senses and jarred the mind, the silver-haired jounin slammed his entire body against his enemy's, sending Zabuza's intended strike far off course, and the blow meant to cleave through his spine and into his heart grazed against his shoulder.

Zabuza went sailing, but righted himself in mid-arc and landed lightly on his feet. Kakashi instantly sprang forward into a full-tilt run, but by the time he reached the exile...

...He was gone.

Kakashi began to turn, hands flying in a series of seals as he did, but stopped dead in his tracks as soon as he saw what was behind him.

Zabuza's zabatou arced through the air.

"Time for a nap!" Zabuza snarled, and sent the weapon blurring down straight for Hinata's head.

Naruto leaped in front of her, but Zabuza's free hand gripped him by the top of his head and threw him with a savage fling out of the way.

Just as Naruto was about to careen into the ground, though, something caught him.

Sand.

Kakashi and Zabuza both turned immediately to Gaara, who had stood up. His body was tense, breath coming in slow, heaving rasps, head down as he held Naruto up with one rigid arm.

He looked up, mouth wide open as he drew in breath, saliva dripping down his chin, teeth gleaming white and suddenly...sharp.

His eyes were pitch-black.

* * *

For a moment, everyone stared.

Hinata couldn't even use the momentary lapse in Zabuza's attention as an opportunity to get out of the way. Her eyes were nearly blinded by the blazing hot light of the chakra churning through Gaara's body. She shut them quickly, and when they opened again, her byakugan was no longer active, but the image was worse.

So much worse.

Gaara hardly looked human.

His body was rigid, locked unnaturally as he slowly forced himself up. He shook and jerked and spasmed, the fingers of one hand held in a claw. The arm finally dropped to his side, and Naruto fell to the ground.

The red-haired genin began to move forward, toward Zabuza.

A sickly white light sparked in the center of his black eyes, an inverse, perverse caricature of normality, and as he finally closed his mouth, he grinned with such feral ferocity, such bloody insanity, that even Zabuza took a step back.

___**"You...don't want to...do that..." **_the former sand-nin hissed, voice warbling like a broken record player._**"He is...fond...of her...and you...you are...preeeeey..."**_

The last word came out slowly, in a sigh of ecstasy, almost a purr. As he continued to stumble forward like a zombie barely in control of its body, Zabuza stepped away from Hinata and narrowed his eyes. "What...the fu—"

Sand suddenly shot forward like an arrow from a too-taught bow, slicing through Zabuza's upper arm as he dove to the side. Crying out, this time in honest pain, the missing-nin clutched the wound and stumbled backward again, barely keeping his feet.

This wasn't natural.

This wasn't human.

This...this wasn't Gaara.

Suddenly, Hinata understood.

* * *

No. No, no.

No.

It wasn't happening. It couldn't. This wasn't right. It was some nightmare. He shouldn't have had that third cup of ramen for dinner. Yeah, that was it. He was just having a weird-ass frickin' nightmare. He'd wake up soon, and everything would be normal.

Gaara would come over later on in the morning, have some oatmeal while he bolted down some more ramen, and they'd go out and train or something, or maybe find Hinata and see if Old Man Hokage had a mission for them.

Yeah.

That's what was going on.

The...the thing that looked like it might once have been Sabaku no Gaara was still bent on Zabuza, its monsters' eyes fixed on him with unnerving intensity, and yet Naruto thought that somehow, they were watching him as well.

He felt something.

Something stirring up inside him. He felt some...some sort of burning in his chest, looking at it. Whatever it was. He didn't dare think what it was, because he just...he just...

But he knew.

God, did he ever know...

This...is a...a...

It was Shukaku. The one-tailed beast.

The bijuu that was the source of Gaara's strength.

It was...

It was the devil.

* * *

"Gaara!" Kakashi cried out suddenly. "Gaara, damn you! Fight it!_FIGHT IT!!"_

Too late.

It was too late.

The Shukaku had gained almost complete control. Only the jerking, halting movements of its body showed that the twelve-year-old genin buried beneath it was still fighting.

He should have gone to Gaara as soon as the boy hadn't risen to his feet. He might have been able to restrain it. He had no idea _how_, but he could have done _something._

Now...Gaara had been knocked unconscious, and the bijuu waiting within him, ever vigilant, had jumped at the opportunity. With its host no longer able to hold it back, it had decided to take action.

It had decided to feed.

"Get out of here!" Kakashi thundered, whirling on his other students. "Take Tazuna and leave! _Now!!"_

But they wouldn't move.

They couldn't.

The only person who could move...was Zabuza.

"Heh," the missing-nin sneered, taking a tighter grip on his weapon's hilt. "Now _this_ should be interesting..."

He dove forward.

_"YOU IDIOT!!"_ Kakashi snarled, finally able to move. He didn't know what he was doing, why he was so suddenly willing to put himself in danger for the enemy, but...no one deserved to die by _that_ thing's hand.

And part of him knew that to let the Shukaku taste blood again...would bring about the Apocalypse.

* * *

It was sudden. Like running headlong into a brick wall.

Kakashi barely managed to stop himself, and almost pitched forward and slammed his face into the ground. Initially, he had no idea what had happened.

But as he heard something...someone...drop to the ground from behind him, his mind finally caught up, and he understood.

Before Zabuza could make contact with what he had considered his new opponent, a pair of needles had shot straight into his neck, and he had gone down like a rock.

A third needle had punctured Gaara, and while the Shukaku hadn't quite fallen as hard as the other, the skill and precision of the strike had done its intended purpose.

Eyes still wide open, glaring up at the sky, the genin with the viscerally psychotic demon trapped within him was completely paralyzed.

Zabuza, however...

"Thank you."

Kakashi blinked, forgetting in his realization of events that someone was standing in front of him. The figure was slight, not much taller than his students, dressed simply in green robes, with a very distinct mask covering his face.

The mask of a hunter.

Black hair fell in two tails framing the mask, lending a distinctly feminine appearance. But the voice hadn't sounded like a girl's to him.

"I've been looking for this chance for quite some time," the newcomer said, and Kakashi was sure of it; this hunter was a boy. A young boy, maybe a year or two older than the genin behind him, but a boy.

"Who...who are...?" came Naruto's frightened whisper. Kakashi turned, glancing back at the blond, and realized that Naruto knew just as well as he did what had happened to Gaara.

It had him shaken to his core.

Kakashi turned around, giving Naruto a comforting look as he passed, and kneeled down in front of Gaara's prone form, looking over him. Other than his eyes, nothing moved.

The jounin turned his attention to Hinata, who was in nearly as bad a state as Naruto. She was shaking, barely able to keep her feet, but Kakashi thought that the full realization of Gaara's problem hadn't quite hit her yet.

Finally, he turned his attention on Zabuza, placing two fingers against his neck, near where the needles the hunter had thrown protruded from his skin.

Turning back to the hunter, Kakashi frowned beneath his mask.

"...He's dead."


	24. 2, 13: A Part of We

_**Hello, again. It's me! So, I'm back at school, and that means...well, any number of things. There's something a bit interesting about this particular chapter, in that it was written entirely within said school's computer lab. I'm pretty sure they don't allow projects of this nature to be worked on in there, but...oh, well. **_

_**There's something about that place that I'm quite fond of, for reasons I'm not entirely sure of. I think I may start writing there quite a bit. Seems to help the creative process.**_

_**Anyway, let's get on with it, shall we? I'm sure you'd like to know what's happened to Gaara, wouldn't you?**_

_**Enjoy.**_

* * *

"Oh, God!"

Were there words to describe this moment? If so, Kakashi thought, those were it. In a nutshell, he figured that to be the most likely way of boiling everything down. Elegant, in a way.

And he turned, without paying much mind to the new arrival that had probably just saved all their lives – not with his first attack, but with his second – to look back at his student, who was paradoxically able to writhe in pain and fury without moving at all. He would have thought it an optical illusion, if his eyes had been susceptible to such things.

Naruto and Hinata were both kneeling before their fallen comrade now, and when he approached, both looked to their commander for answers. Gaara was still apparently unconscious, because the only thing Kakashi saw in looking at his red-haired soldier's eyes was cold, feral rage.

He frowned beneath his mask. "We will...have to do something about this," he said finally, cryptically, and left things at that. He turned away from his students and looked at the third masked shinobi among them now (or perhaps he had simply replaced the second).

The figure was thin, compact, and clearly built for speed. Lean and limber, the masked ninja stood easily, as if strolling through the woods, and Kakashi thought that this meant more danger than anything else.

The masked shinobi's voice was young, barely older than his students' own, and despite the smooth, silky, possibly purposefully feminine flow to that voice, Kakashi could tell that this ninja was male.

"You are a hunter," Kakashi said.

The masked one nodded. "Indeed. And I have been searching for that one for quite some time now," he said again, gesturing to Zabuza. "I must thank you, all of you, because I am not certain that I would have been able to handle him if not for your involvement."

"Who…?" Naruto started to ask again, then apparently thought better of the question. What did it really matter, anyway? And, more to the point, would a person who kept their face completely covered answer the question truthfully even if it did?

"As your leader has surmised," the masked one answered, however, "I am a hunter. For the Hidden Mist, if you must know. And you have assisted me in acquiring a very important target. But…it seems as though you have a much more pressing matter on your hands than my identity. Why don't I leave you to your business, and you leave me to mine?"

The hunter-nin shot forward, grabbed Zabuza's body as if it were no heavier than a pack of rations, and slung it over one shoulder. With a glance at Naruto that somehow felt like a wink – if that made any sense at all, which oddly enough it did – he vanished into the trees, leaving three able-bodied ninja alone to deal with one prone – but infinitely more dangerous – one.

* * *

"For a man who talks so much of focus, you certainly daydream quite often, don't you?"

Iruka didn't flinch, but he may as well have. His reverie suddenly broken, he realized where he was, and turned to the source of the voice like awakening from a nap.

Indeed, he thought, from a dream.

"Maybe I do," he said, giving Kurenai a lopsided grin. "But then, maybe that's why I stress the point so much. Maybe I'm hoping I'll actually teach _myself_ something."

"A born instructor," Kurenai muttered, chuckling as she shook her head. "You have an answer for everything, don't you?"

"The meaning of life wasn't in the handbook," Iruka replied, "but I'm working on it. Time off?"

Kurenai shrugged. "My students can handle training by themselves for a while," she said. "Shino doesn't know the meaning of the word 'slacking,' and Sakura seems to have a rather fanatical devotion to ensuring that Kiba stays on track."

"How are they doing?" Iruka wondered.

"Well enough," Kurenai said. "They each have their areas of excellence, and I do mean that. You must have had an easy time with Sakura; she's a sponge."

"She was a dedicated student, I will say," Iruka admitted, smiling. "Not the best at practical utility, but that will come in time. That's what you're for."

"Indeed. Kiba is eager to prove himself, and I think given a bit of time he'll find a way how. And Shino…well, there's not much to be said about that one. He mostly keeps to himself. Like a…few others I could name."

Iruka nodded. "I'm sure."

"And what of you? How is our newest…batch shaping up?"

"About as well as I would have expected. I don't really think there are any surprises. A few standouts, on both sides of the spectrum."

"Why so distracted, then? I might have expected you to be pleased with that."

"I am," Iruka insisted.

"You're thinking about Naruto again, aren't you?"

"…Yes."

Kurenai nodded. "I knew there would be something with you two. You always were a bit…strict with him. If Kakashi's reports are any indicator, I'd say he's learned from that."

"I certainly hope so."

"He's doing well. You don't have anything to worry about."

"I'm not worrying."

Kurenai smirked. "You don't think I'm actually going to believe that, do you?"

"…I'm hoping that _I _will, eventually."

* * *

"What are you going to do about him?"

If anything, Tazuna seemed to have lapsed out of the realm of nervousness and into pure panic, despite the fact that he had just survived an attack that had seemed impossible to escape from.

Naruto couldn't say he blamed the old man, really. While still paralyzed, and almost looking as helpless and innocent as a newborn in Kakashi's arms, Gaara's eyes continued to bore into him even when they weren't focused on him.

"He'll be okay, Naruto-kun," Hinata offered, patting his arm, and Naruto managed to manufacture a nod. But neither of them were very confident in that. They might have been, except Kakashi had become even more stern and cold, and withdrawn, now that they were out of immediate danger.

And if Naruto had been asked to hazard a guess, he would have said the reason for that was because they _weren't _out of immediate danger. Because who knew if Gaara would _stay _paralyzed long enough to get him back to normal?

_If _he got back to normal.

And that was the biggest "what-if" hanging over the blond's head right now. He couldn't be sure. He didn't know anything about the bijuu, except for the fact that he housed one. And even though he knew that, he didn't know anything about what that actually meant.

Gaara was the one who had done research. The one who knew the danger. Gaara was the one who had told him, who had known, and now…he was the one to fall into the shadow of it. And was there any escaping from that shadow, now that it had been cast?

Or had Shukaku and Gaara switched places now? Would they have to wait until the Shukaku, the creature that had been in existence longer than anything they could comprehend, make a mistake big enough for a twelve-year-old ninja to take advantage of it?

If that was the case, Naruto didn't think he would be seeing his friend again anytime soon.

And if the look on Kakashi's face was any clue, he thought that that might just _be_ the case.

His heart sank.

And he thought the part that made him feel worst about this…was the fact that it didn't feel real. And because it didn't feel real, he couldn't figure out how he was supposed to feel.

But he knew…that it shouldn't be this.

And suddenly he felt something.

An impulse.

* * *

It was dark.

Only…it wasn't.

What was it, then? What in the name of all that was holy _was _it? Was it light? No, he didn't think so. But it wasn't night, either. It wasn't shadow. It wasn't…it wasn't anything that was tangible enough to label.

Words didn't cover this kind of feeling…if it was even a feeling at all. And he didn't think it was. The closest thing he thought he could equate it to was a prison cell, but the moment he thought it he knew that that didn't cover it.

It was like calling a corpse a human being. Yes, that was part of it, if the body happened to be human, but just because it was partially correct didn't make it the answer.

And calling…_this _a prison didn't cover it, either.

"…at are you…ing to do…im?"

What was that? A voice. Yes. Something he knew. Something he could identify. It was the voice of another person. Yes, that's what it was. With sudden excitement, he latched onto that familiar concept like a bit of driftwood in this indescribable, alien ocean-storm, and scrambled to make himself float.

"…don't know…have to…something…before…"

Another voice. Yes! It was another person's voice!

Someone…familiar. The first voice was familiar, too, but not as familiar as this second one. That meant something. He wasn't sure what it meant; his mind couldn't quite grasp it. But he knew it was important, and so he strove to remember it.

"…should get…home…nsei! He…to go…ospital!"

There was a third!

This one was different. More so than the second had been to the first. Something…very distinct about this third voice. It was lighter. Yes, that was something. And it was…younger. Lighter, younger. And…and frightened.

Yes. Frightened.

It was…a girl?

Girl. Yes, he knew that word. He saw what it meant. He _knew_ what it meant. But the connections weren't quite working. No. There…there was…_something, _though! He knew there was something! Why couldn't he think of it?!

And then…suddenly…almost like a—

"_HEY, GAARA! WAKE UP!"_

* * *

Three pairs of eyes stared at him in abject shock.

Naruto shrugged self-consciously. "What? It was _something, _right? It was worth a shot. You said it was…that he was unconscious. So…like…we gotta wake him up, right?"

Kakashi actually cracked a smile. "I…don't think it will be quite that simple, Naruto. But I suppose you do have a point. We have to do _something _about him. Hinata, perhaps you see something?"

Hinata shook her head. "There's so much chakra running through him," she said guiltily. "I tried. I can't make anything out. Maybe…maybe my father…?"

"I don't think we have that much time," Kakashi said, shaking his head before she could finish the thought. "His body is already distorted, and it's deteriorating. Something has to be done quickly, or the damage won't be reversible."

"So…what do we do?" Naruto asked. "Is there _anything?_ I mean, like…some sort of herb or a…or a medicine or…like, hell, therapy? Like pressure points or something."

He was scrambling, and Kakashi realized that Naruto was straining with everything he had to lighten his mood. It was a defense mechanism; he seemed to be actively combating the negative emotions so clearly written on his face by forcing himself to think like he usually would.

It was admirable, Kakashi thought.

He almost wished _he _could do that.

He lay his paralyzed student down on the grass, and tried to think of what to do. Naruto knelt down by his friend's head and stared at him, perhaps hoping that the answer would appear written on his skin like an instruction manual.

Looking uncertain, Naruto grabbed Gaara's limp left hand and held it. Not lightly, or gently, but hard. Hard enough that his fingernails were digging into the older boy's flesh, and Kakashi wasn't surprised when sand flowed down Gaara's arm. But Naruto continued to squeeze.

And suddenly cried out in pain.

Gaara's malformed, sand-covered hand had clamped onto the blond's wrist.

* * *

Pain…

Was that pain…?

He thought it was. He thought it must be. It was the word that came first to him, and it was alien. Had he felt pain before? He thought he had. But…not normal pain. Not like this.

But there it was.

It was like…like fire.

Fire. Yes.

Red, like fire.

Red, like…like…

A fox's fur.

What did that mean? Why did he think of a fox? And why…why did he feel angry? Why was he angry now? Why did he want to kill the fox? Kill the red. Kill the fire.

Kill fox.

Kill red.

Kill red fox, kill fire.

But…why?

No reason why. Kill. Kill fox. Quickly, kill red fox with fire. Quickly, kill for blood. Kill for vengeance. Kill for…kill for…

Mother.

No! Not Mother! This is _not _Mother! This is not—

Kill.

No.

Kill fox.

No. Won't. Can't. No killing.

Kill.

No.

Kill!

NO!

Kill the fire!!

_**NO!!**_

* * *

He felt it.

Instinct like wildfire blazed in his blood, and he responded to the Shukaku's grip with a growl that wasn't human. He felt it, the one-tailed demon's bloodlust made solid over his friend's hand, and the fire inside him was responding.

Like some unconscious observer, Naruto watched his own hand clamp down in response to Gaara's grip, and would have cried out in surprise if he could have.

Blood, like bright (too bright) red water, trickled down Gaara's wrist.

And he actually _did _cry out when he looked at Gaara's face.

Light green eyes, terrified and agonized but singing with triumph, stared back at him.

The sand around Gaara's hand shot up to his neck and ripped out the needle that the hunter-nin had thrown into him, and Gaara cried out. He let go of the blond's wrist and curled in on himself, teeth clenched shut against a scream that was bubbling up into his throat.

"G-Gaara…?"

"Gaara-kun!"

Kakashi stumbled back. "By God…"

Gaara let out a strangled sob of pain, feet scrambling to find purchase beneath him. The chakra that had been boiling within him was pulsing through his skin like waves of fevered heat, doubling back upon him as if intent to burn him alive.

Gaara's clawed hands shot into the ground, and Naruto flinched violently as he saw one of his index fingernails bend backward and snap completely off. He stumbled backward when the scream finally tore its way out into the open air.

And when it was gone, Gaara did not collapse.

He slumped forward, and slowly – so agonizingly slowly – forced himself to his feet. His arms trembled as they pushed his weight upward; his legs shook as if seizing as that weight was set upon them again.

And once he was upright, he stared up at the sky as if cursing God.

He looked down after a while, forcing his breathing to slow, forcing the haggard rasps to smooth themselves, and stumbled backward a step.

Gaara looked at Naruto, and his face looked pitifully young and painfully old at the same time.

"T-T…Than…thank you…" he said.

He sounded like he was going to cry.

"H-Hey…" Naruto said, and a grin found its way onto his face, lopsided and unsure but still sincere. "Sure…n-no problem…I, uh…I don't think I really _did _anything, anyway. You, uh…you okay now?"

It was a stupid question, and everybody knew it. But it was the only question that seemed to flow right in the stifling, sterile, burning air that still wafted about Gaara's body.

Gaara clenched his teeth against a spasm of pain. "I…I am sorry. I lost control. I…I wasn't able to hold it. I lost my grip."

_"You _did not lose anything," Kakashi said, and it did not sound as if he were trying to cheer the red-haired boy up; he simply seemed to be setting the record straight. "You were knocked unconscious. Zabuza nearly killed us. You did not. Have you regained control?"

"I'd not bet on it," Gaara murmured, somewhat guiltily. "I can…feel it. It's incensed…and it will grasp control at any given opportunity. We will…have to be careful."

The way he said it, Naruto thought that he wasn't saying "we" so much as he was saying "I." And that didn't surprise him; Gaara seemed to have grown up with the idea that he was responsible for everything.

Naruto supposed that might have been his father's fault. The Kazekage had never made much of a secret of the fact that he blamed – or at least allowed his subjects to blame – Gaara for every mishap and misfortune that befell the Hidden Sand, and regardless of how false that was, Gaara had worn that mantle without complaint.

He almost seemed to enjoy it.

But this, he thought as he watched Gaara force himself to move forward – and they all followed him without thinking – through the pain (which Naruto felt a fraction of; the spirit within _him _was apparently far more patient than Shukaku, because _it _had allowed its presence to be quelled almost immediately), was more personal than that.

The Shukaku, quite literally, _was _his responsibility.

_And the Kyuubi is mine, _Naruto thought suddenly.

He looked down at his stomach, where he felt the faintest tinge of feverish heat, and wondered when the nine-tailed fox would take an opportunity of its own, and whether _he _would be strong enough to overcome it.

He thought he had no choice.

He had to be.

* * *

Hyuuga Hinata was used to being an outsider.

There was no question that she was "outside expectations" within her home; her father wasted no chance to remind her of the fact. Neither, she reminded herself, did any other member of the Hyuuga Clan aside from Hanabi. It was just that Hiashi seemed to overpower every memory of her home that Hinata had ever had.

His presence did not allow others to tread upon it.

So yes, she was used to standing outside, of watching, of listening, of existing but not interacting. And so the feeling that washed over her as she followed her teammates to Tazuna's village was instantly – indeed almost intimately – familiar.

But that did not mean that she liked it.

She felt no sense of resentment toward her teammates, just as she felt no sense of resentment toward her father. What she felt was irritation, and anger, on the part of herself.

Hinata knew – knew perhaps better than anyone outside of Naruto and Gaara themselves – what lay within her friends. She could see. She could feel. And she knew that there would be no way to understand what it was like to have such a burden.

The burden of a jinchuuriki was not something that many understood.

In fact, she thought, only a jinchuuriki could understand it.

And so, there was a certain bond between Naruto and Gaara that she could not intrude upon. She wanted to, she wanted to understand and help and…and _belong, _but she knew that she could not.

She was not a jinchuuriki. She did not understand.

These thoughts kept her silent as she walked, as thoughts of this nature kept her quiet most of the time. She did not notice Gaara fall back from his position just in front of Tazuna to walk beside her.

"You may not think that you did anything," he said softly, gently, and she jumped with a slight yelp. She turned to look at him, and he smiled at her.

Gaara did not often smile. It was alien, but she had always liked it. The burden of the Shukaku had shown on his face – and especially in his eyes – seemingly since birth, and certainly since the first time she had met him, and when he smiled it seemed to be a scream of defiance against it. His entire face brightened, and his eyes sparkled, and she couldn't help but smile with him.

"N-Naruto-kun is the one who…" she began.

"No," Gaara said, shaking his head, "not entirely. It was _your _voice, Hinata. Yours. I know that you must feel…awkward," he added, and looked irritated that he could not find a better word for what he thought, "but know that."

"Yeah," came Naruto's voice on her other side, and she yelped again. The blond chuckled. "We kicked butt today, huh? Kinda scary, sure, but…we did it! We're awesome!"

Hinata looked at her teammates, and marveled at the realization that she no longer felt like an outsider. When she heard "we," she did not think "they." No. A radiant smile rose on her lips as she realized that "we" meant just that.

We.

She was a part of this.

Naruto put a hand on her shoulder, and Gaara took hold of her opposite hand; she was a part of this.

She was awesome.

Just like her team.


	25. 2, 14: Touched by Fire

_**I have a favor to ask, if I retain the ability to do so. As you have no doubt noticed, updates to this, and my other Naruto work, are often a long time in coming. Part of the reason for that is I'm never quite certain what to write. I don't really have a distinct idea in my head when I write a new chapter, and I don't think that's the right way to go about things. So what I'd like to ask you, my faithful audience, to do for me is to let me know if you have any ideas for where this story should go. Plot points, battles, characters; anything you'd like to see, drop me a line. It would surely help.**_

_**

* * *

  
**_

There once was a man with a fire inside of him.

This fire was not a kind fire. It was not a docile fire. It did not exist to help the man, to warm him or to cook his food or to ward off his predators. This fire did not love the man; this fire was made of hate.

One day the man went to the elder of his village, and he asked, "Elder, you are old and wise, and you have been living since the beginnings of days. What should I do, I who am weak and surely will fall to this fire? It will consume me."

And the elder said, "You must be strong. You must find the power, within your heart and mind, within the body given you by the earth and the stars and the sky, and you must contain the fire within you."

"But I cannot!" the man insisted, and there were tears in his eyes. They were not tears of sadness, tears of grief, but tears tinged red with anger, and the man's teeth clenched, and he bared them like he was a predator.

The elder did not move. The elder's guards, strong soldiers with fine spears in hand, stepped forward, but the elder held up his hand and the guards stopped moving. But they did not lower their spears.

"You can," the elder told the man," because you must. Because our village is made of wood, and our houses are made of wood, and your son's crib is made of wood, and what will become of wood that is touched by fire?"

"It will burn," the man answered.

The elder nodded, and the man understood. But the elder explained anyway, and he said, "Yes, my child, wood will burn. Our village will burn. Our homes will burn. Your son, and your wife, and all our sons and wives, and our daughters and our mothers, and our fathers and our brothers and our sisters, will burn, if you allow the fire within you to escape. You must contain the fire. You must become a prison for the fire. Do you understand, my child?"

The man nodded. The man did not want to nod.

"I understand, Elder," said the man. He did not want to understand.

And the man left his elder's home, and the man left his village. He left his village because he needed to become strong enough to contain the fire. The fire was angry, and the fire was desperate, and the man knew that he was not strong enough, and if the fire did break through him, he did not want his village to burn.

He did not want the fire to feed.

* * *

The village known as Konohagakure was nestled in a forest as bright and lively as any there had ever been. It was a thriving land, a beautiful land, and it was easy to see at a glance that Konoha was prosperous. Compared to the Hidden Sand, this place was a paradise. There was no wasteland here. This was earth in the prime of its existence, tended gently and lovingly by well-guided hands, defended quickly and decisively by a corps of soldiers that was the stuff of legends.

The boy known as Sabaku no Gaara had never seen anything so beautiful. There were tears in his eyes as he looked on the place that would be his home from now on. He followed the Third Hokage and his guards into the borders of the village looking like he would never frown again. His face, so often pale and drawn and secretive, was split open by a wide, awestruck, rapturous grin. The other children, so used to the place, did not quite understand Gaara's euphoria, but when they looked back at their village, they seemed to have a new appreciation for it, seen only through this newcomer's eyes. Smiles were widespread through the crowd as they returned home. Parents waited, and the crowd soon broke off as the children found their own, smiling and laughing and telling of their adventure to the Hidden Sand, and they pointed at Gaara and told them about how the Hokage had brought someone new home with them.

Some of the adults seemed to mistrust their new neighbor, standing as he was next to Naruto. The prominent dark circles around his eyes did nothing to help, nor did they seem to care that he was _also _standing next to the heiress to the Hyuuga. No, if this new boy was in any way connected to..._that _one, then no amount of nobility could save him. Where Naruto went, poison followed. That, and more, their eyes told, and some of the smiles faltered as the children realized that their mothers and fathers weren't quite so excited to hear their stories anymore.

Sandaime passed these faces with a look that could have leveled mountains. A thunderstorm would have stopped and bowed its head if confronted by that look, and those of a mind to make derisive comments, even under their breaths, about the newcomer suddenly found that they hadn't the courage to. The Third may have been old, but the robes he wore were not ceremonial. The mantle he wore had not been given lightly, and he was—even now—fully capable of carrying it.

Hinata waved goodbye to the pair who would one day follow her into battle, when she caught sight of her father and reluctantly left. Naruto and Gaara stayed with the Third, having no parents to go to, and he spoke to them. "Follow me, you two. Iruka, you come as well. The rest of you are dismissed."

Iruka nodded, and fell into step beside his leader as the rest of his guard set off. They moved so quickly, so silently, that it seemed like they disappeared. Naruto flinched when they did; he thought he'd never get used to that, but hoped one day he would, and would eventually be able to do it himself. It looked like fun.

"Cool, huh?" Naruto asked as he and Gaara strolled through the village. Gaara nodded distractedly, looking around him, unable to keep the delight from his face even though Iruka and Sandaime both looked so stern. "This is gonna be great! You'll have fun here, Gaara, you just wait!"

"I certainly hope so," Sandaime said, glancing over his shoulder at the two of them, "but I do hope you won't...do anything illegal..._again. _I do _not _want another visit from the Inuzuka, do you understand? They were quite clear on what they planned to do to you if you caused trouble for them again, and I'd rather avoid such a conflict. Those dogs have enough taste for human blood as it is."

Naruto paled. "Y-Y-Yes...y-yes, sir."

Iruka smirked. "You might have to keep an eye on him for us, Gaara. He can be quite a handful, you know. Think you can do that for us?"

Gaara wasn't quite sure what to say. He eventually settled on nodding, which Naruto seemed to take as some form of betrayal from the look of shock on his face. Iruka's smirk widened into a full grin, and he reached out to tousle the boy's hair. Gaara flinched away from the contact, and sand shot up to protect him. Far from looking surprised, Iruka simply retracted his hand and his smile widened. "Well, thank you. That's a relief to hear. I'm sure you'll do a fine job."

Gaara smiled, and he nodded again. "Yes, sir."

"For now," Sandaime said, "you will live with Naruto in his apartment. I...trust that is agreeable to both of you?"

Now Naruto smiled, too, and they both nodded in unison.

"Yes, sir!"

* * *

"Are you certain this is a job you want?"

It was generally impossible to read the expression on Hatake Kakashi's face at any given moment, and the Third had some degree of certainty that the man liked it that way. Nevertheless, a lifetime around fellow shinobi had given the Hokage a fair amount of skill in doing just that, and he was heartened to see that there wasn't the faintest shred of doubt on the young jounin's face.

"Coming from most people," Kakashi said, "I would believe that such a question would translate as, 'Are you sure you can _handle_ this job?' But of course that is not your question, else we would not be having this conversation. If you were not sure, the offer would not have been made."

Sandaime shrugged. "You are likely right. Nevertheless, I ask. This is not a decision I make lightly, putting them both together. Regardless of character, there is a fair degree of danger in two jinchuuriki _ever _being together. Why do you think no shinobi village has had two at the same time before ours? Placing a commander over them is a difficult decision."

"From what I've been told, and what I've seen," Kakashi replied, "there would be small point in placing them in separate squads. The crux of their strength is in how well they have grown to know each other. Why else would you allow them such leeway, considering the stunts that they have pulled?"

Sandaime chuckled, and there was a faint grin stretching the thin fabric of Kakashi's mask. "Well, now, I knew there was a reason I thought of you, first off. Indeed, I had something of an ulterior motive in taking it so easy on them, over the years. I wanted to see just how inventive they could be. So far, I'm most impressed. You must admit, considering the attitude of the general populace, it is no surprise that they would act out in such a fashion."

Kakashi glanced out of the window of Uzumaki Naruto's apartment, single visible eye looking lost in thought. "Perhaps. Public opinion of Gaara has been steadily improving, however. He has made a point to assist the village in any number of ways, the way I hear it."

"The boy has much more time on his hands than I think even we realize," Sandaime replied. "His body has conditioned itself to survive on very little in the way of rest, and if not for...well, let us just say that a person outside of his particular circumstances would have long since died."

"Indeed. And now...they have both graduated. Quite the task. I'd not thought that Naruto would be able to do it, if we are being perfectly honest. His determination somewhat clouds his ability to focus on academics."

"That is far from my concern," Sandaime said, standing himself now, and moving over to the window where Kakashi still watched. "Regardless of how often or how little he applies himself to the specific lessons of the academy, I've noticed a marked improvement in his abilities. I'd not have allowed Iruka to reverse his decision regarding the boy's graduation if not for that. We can't allow precedent to dictate who is allowed into the ranks at any given moment. Rigid tradition is almost always indicative of a society's death, don't you think?"

"I am...not entirely certain," Kakashi admitted, "but I doubt we have any semblance of precedent to even fall back on when it comes to him. Except, perhaps, your own student? Ah, but maybe _that_ is why...yes, that would make sense."

Sandaime laughed. "Jiraiya certainly surprised all of us," he admitted. "It rather saddens me to admit that that old fool is my finest achievement, but then we can never tell, can we? Perhaps I should find him...he would be interested to see how Naruto has done, I think. He always did make a point to watch over his progress."

"I think he probably knows already, how the boy is doing," Kakashi said. "Regardless of anything you might have to say about him, Jiraiya-sama knows how to keep himself hidden. It honestly wouldn't surprise me if he were actually still here in the village. That man could stand on your foot and you wouldn't notice until he poked your shoulder to catch your attention."

Sandaime laughed again. "Well, now, maybe you're right."

Kakashi smirked. Silence reigned in the tiny apartment for a while as they both watched the village outside, seeing Konoha from the same vantage point of their greatest strength and most prominent blind spot. Uzumaki Naruto had always been a mystery, and whether he would prove a weapon or a weakness was something nobody honestly knew...except perhaps Hyuuga Hinata and Sabaku no Gaara.

"You needn't ask if I want the job," Kakashi said, thinking suddenly of another person—long since a forgotten ghost of Konoha's history—who had carried Naruto's surname. It shamed him that his memory of her face was so blurry after so long, but he nonetheless remembered enough. "I could never live with myself if I refused."

Sandaime glanced back at him.

"You always were loyal, Kakashi. I do hope that will serve you well."

Kakashi did not answer.

* * *

"Naruto-kun, we're not supposed to kill our client's family."

It was perhaps the fact that she said it so matter-of-factly, with no trace of admonishment or even humor, that caused Naruto to sit back down, and set his bowl onto the table instead of throwing it at the back of Tazuna's grandson's head as the boy retreated out of the room. He still glared at the bowl as if _it _were the one responsible for denying him a chance at vengeance, electing to pout.

"I hate that kid," he muttered under his breath. He caught the eye of Tazuna's daughter, Tsunami, who was still watching the doorway where her son had escaped, and flinched. "Uh...I mean...uh...well...ahem."

"I'm sorry," Tsunami said finally. "He...he wasn't always like that. It's just...well..."

"War is ugly business," Kakashi murmured thoughtfully, "and none know it quite as well as children. There is no need to apologize, I assure you. I thank you for allowing us into your home. I think perhaps you would rather we not need to be here."

Tsunami smiled. "Thank you. It's true that I would prefer that it wasn't necessary to call shinobi into the village to deal with this...problem. But I'm honored that you have agreed to help us. And for what little money we have to offer. I...I thank you."

Kakashi stood up from the table and sent a stern glance at Tazuna. "Your father was less than truthful regarding the details of this mission, I'm afraid to say," he said softly, "and it would have done well for him to have divulged everything. I do not want you to think that we are unwilling to help you and your people," he added, bowing his head, "but I will have you know that if my students die, it will be on _his _shoulders to pay for it."

Tsunami gasped, and Tazuna flinched. Hinata looked nervous, but Naruto and Gaara didn't react. Well...rather, they both looked too distracted to react. Kakashi had a feeling that he knew what the two were thinking about, and thought it prudent to leave it to them. He glanced at Hinata, however, and winked.

"Don't worry," he said. "I have no intention of allowing my precious new protégés to die." He glanced back at Tazuna. "But the possibility of dying must always be considered in the life of a ninja, and I'll not have you thinking that now that you're home you are safe from me if anything happens to my soldiers as a result of your difficulty with honesty."

He turned to the three genin. "I must speak with you. Come."

* * *

Once Kakashi was in the room that Tsunami had offered them, he nearly collapsed to the floor. His head pounded, and the eye hidden beneath his headband was itching madly. He clenched his fists, but forced himself to stand again.

"Listen to me," he said sharply, and the trio of young ninja snapped to attention. "I need to rest. I've not had cause to use this eye in a long time," he gestured to his face, "and my body is unused to its strain. So I need to ensure that you understand something before I do."

Hinata fidgeted, and Naruto frowned confusedly.

"I do not think Momochi Zabuza is dead."

"You checked yourself, and said he was dead," Gaara noted. "...Did you not?"

"So you heard that, did you?" Kakashi asked, looking only mildly surprised.

"Vaguely. I remember hearing 'dead.' Who else would you be referring to?"

Kakashi regarded the boy for a moment, then shrugged. "Fair enough. The point is, that hunter had the skill and precision to immobilize you with a single needle. Considering your condition at the time, that was no idle skill. I do not like coincidences, and the hunter's appearance was too sudden for my tastes."

"You think he only made it _look _like he was dead?" Hinata asked. "Then...they are working together?"

"Possibly. I do not pretend to know the answers, but remember...where a chance is possible, it was likely taken. We cannot assume this is the last we've seen of that one. He was...too determined to win. I simply want you three to be on your guard. While I am indisposed, you are in charge of this mission. You three are Tazuna's lifeline, and I expect you _not _to take that responsibility lightly. When I have rested, I have a few exercises for you. You'll need more than your current skills to handle this."

The trio nodded.

"You did well today," he said, the set of his face softening the slightest bit. "Feel proud of yourselves. But don't let that pride blind you. The mission has not yet ended. When we're back home, you can celebrate."

"Yes, sir," Naruto said with sudden solemnity.

"Understood," Gaara said.

Hinata bowed.

Kakashi saw fear in their faces, and was not surprised to see it. In fact, he was relieved to see it. He would have been far more worried if it had been absent. He entertained the idea of sending word back to the Hidden Leaf, but thought better of it. The details of this day would only be for the Hokage himself. He couldn't trust anyone else.

And he didn't have the time, or the strength, to head back just now.

"Patrol the area," Kakashi said. "Stand guard. Be vigilant. Report to me if you have any suspicions, and do not hesitate. We haven't the luxury. You understand?"

Nods.

"Good. Now go. You have a job to do."

* * *

_**I admit, not much happens in this chapter, and I apologize for that, but I wanted to work out some ideas, and flashbacks seemed the best way to do that. Makes it feel like you're watching the anime, doesn't it? Next chapter I'm going to work on the tree-walking training, though, and that was always a favorite of mine. Should be interesting. **_


	26. 2, 15: The Doll and the Flower

_**I'm trying to impose a schedule onto myself when it comes to writing, and with any luck, this story will see one of the biggest improvements when it comes to that. I know that I take a long time to put up each chapter of this, and I don't think there are words to properly apologize for that. I hope to fix that. I've recently begun watching the anime again after quite a long hiatus, so hopefully that helps as well. We'll see if I don't get back "into the groove," as it were.**_

_**

* * *

  
**_

It was alien, but at the same time it was strangely expected.

The next morning, Kakashi was up before the sun and had his team out of the house and trekking into the forest before the sleep had even begun to leave their eyes. Gaara, of course, didn't look all that different from normal, although Naruto couldn't help but notice that—for the first time in the many years he'd known the red-haired boy—he looked…well, tired was the word he wanted to use, but exhausted was closer to the mark. Hinata made him a special tea that she kept with her that she said would help keep him alert, but either it hadn't kicked in yet or just hadn't done any good. He looked no more awake than either of his teammates; he just carried it better.

The silver-haired jounin's perpetual lateness was nowhere to be found this day, nor his slow, meandering walk. He bolted down the breakfast a puffy-eyed Tsunami provided him in record time, and had his team out the door. The forest they now walked through was covered in the same thick carpet of mist that strangled the ground of the village proper, but the three genin found at least a small amount of comfort in being somewhat reminded of home.

"What's this about?" Naruto asked after a long, almost sterile silence, and the suddenness of his voice in the morning air made Hinata flinch. "You said we'd be training today? What are we gonna do?"

In response to that, at least, there was the familiar Kakashi; he _didn't_ respond. They continued their march into the trees, and when Hinata glanced at her blond teammate, she saw no anticipation on his face. He hadn't expected a response, looked even a bit relieved that he hadn't, and had only spoken because he couldn't abide by such thick silence.

"Do you feel better, Gaara-kun?" Hinata asked after a moment, and the relief that had begun to creep onto Naruto's face came in full-force. Conversation had started. He visibly calmed.

Gaara didn't look over at her immediately. For a moment, he seemed inclined to ignore her entirely. But with effort, he brought his head to the side to look at his teammate and even brought a ghost of a smile to his lips. "A bit, yes," he offered. "Thank you, Hinata."

He wasn't lying…not quite. But it wasn't exactly the truth, either.

Naruto tried to imagine what his friend was feeling. It was clear that he was tired, that his body wasn't rested and that it hurt to keep his feet; but at the same time, what choice did he have? Naruto had gone overboard on his personal training every so often, and felt that sort of tired that seeped through the bones, but _his _solution to that was to just take a nap.

Gaara couldn't do that.

What must that feel like? Naruto wasn't sure. And he wanted to admire his friend for shouldering that burden so stoically, but mostly he just felt scared. He put a hand to his stomach, and wondered why he didn't have the same problem as his fellow jinchuuriki. Why didn't Naruto have to keep control at all times, like Gaara? Why had he never _felt _the fox demon inside him? Why had it never seemed as if he were any different than anyone else, except perhaps that he had more energy? Why...and _would _he…eventually?

Was he just lucky? And if that was the case…when would his luck run out?

It was a chilling thought, and the only thing that Naruto could say _for _it was that suddenly, he didn't feel all that tired anymore. He glanced at Hinata and saw that she knew Gaara wasn't being entirely honest, just like he did, but she also didn't look all that surprised. The exhaustion in Sabaku no Gaara's eyes wasn't the sort that could be banished by tea, no matter where it had come from or how it had been prepared.

The four ninja half-walked, half-slid down a steep incline that led into a wide clearing, and it was here that Kakashi stopped. He turned to face his students, scanning them with his perpetually half-lidded eye (his sharingan eye had been covered by his _hitai-ate _again), arms crossed over his vest.

"All right, then," Kakashi said, looking around at his surroundings. "Today, my students…we're going to climb trees."

* * *

"Say…what?"

Kakashi seemed to thrive on confusion. It wasn't just that he found it amusing; it was more like a legitimate way of life with him. He did it because he couldn't _not. _The genin could tell that he was smirking beneath his mask, and he waited a beat before glancing up toward the sky—more specifically, the tips of the trees surrounding the clearing—and gesturing upward with a nonchalant wave.

"Trees. You will climb them."

"…Ah…I learned how to climb trees when I was about _four," _Naruto muttered. "So there's gotta be some catch to this, if you want to call it _training. _So what is it? One hand tied behind our backs?"

"Yes…you _do _seem adept at climbing, if your most recent…escapade is any indication," Kakashi said thoughtfully, clearly thinking of the blond's less-than-appreciated "additions" to the Hokage monument, "so I suppose climbing _is _a bit simple for you. Well, now, how to make it _challenging _to the great and honorable Naruto-sama?"

Kakashi raised an eyebrow.

"This's the part where you tell me I jump to conclusions too fast, right?" Naruto asked, returning the gesture. "Okay, okay, you got something up your sleeve. What is it?"

"You…almost said it yourself, Naruto," Kakashi answered, rubbing his chin. "But…not quite there."

"Eh?"

"You said…one hand tied behind your backs," Kakashi continued. "But that isn't the exercise I have in mind for you. No. In order for this training to be successful, I'm afraid I can't afford you the luxury of a free hand. In order for this training to be worth anything, you will not use your hands or your arms. You will climb these trees with only your legs and feet."

"That's impossible!" Naruto cried, then smirked. "That's my line, right? So now you explain why it isn't. How're we gonna do this, exactly?"

Kakashi chuckled.

_Your line, indeed, _the jounin thought. _Sharper than you let on, aren't you, Naruto?_

"Well, now…" Kakashi said, "that…is a simple matter of…"

He launched himself backward into the air, flipped, and landed sideways on the trunk of a tree behind him, feet flat and standing horizontally, hands slipped into his pockets. "…Application," he finished. His students were all sufficiently surprised (Gaara's eyes seemed a bit more aware; an improvement). Kakashi turned idly on his heel and began to walk casually up the trunk as if it were a bridge. "A ninja's arsenal is more diverse than even we give it credit for, sometimes," he continued, "and my job as your commander is to provide you with the environment in which you can apply that arsenal. I don't teach you specifics. That only entrenches you in rigid rhetoric. And in this mission, especially, such tactics would only end in death."

Kakashi pushed off the tree and plummeted like a fallen branch to the ground, spinning in the air just before impact so that he landed upright in a crouch. "So…I'm not going to tell you _how _to do that. You'll have to figure that out for yourselves. The lesson…sticks better that way. And the knowledge will serve you better."

_Now _came the look of indignant shock Kakashi had expected to see from Naruto. It almost made him laugh. Hinata looked contemplative, and the jounin thought that the Hyuuga's heiress had already begun to figure out how the exercise was done. Gaara…showed nothing. But this time, Kakashi noted with some amount of concern, that his neutrality wasn't so much out of discipline as it was of pure, lethargic apathy. The red-haired boy was still reeling, and the only cure Kakashi could think of—sleep—was out of the question.

"Good luck," he said, and decided he'd let the other two figure out a way to help their teammate along. They, after all, had the best chance.

* * *

As Kakashi had figured, Hyuuga Hinata was quick to catch on. Her personal training at the hands of her father had given her an edge when it came to precise chakra control, and of course it was that control that the exercise was meant to encourage. While she was used to utilizing this particular technique with her hands, it didn't take her too long to figure out how to apply it to her feet.

Naruto watched, dumbfounded, as Hinata tentatively placed one foot against the trunk of a tree and pressed against it. The sole of her foot began to glow a soft, gentle blue. The gray-eyed kunoichi didn't do anything else, though. She simply stood there, foot propped against the tree, and seemed to study it. After a while, she activated her bloodline limit.

"What the…?"

The blond expected Gaara to launch into an explanation, but nothing came. He turned, and saw that his teammate was simply watching Hinata silently, arms crossed and looking contemplative. Every so often he would blink, and once while Naruto was watching he shook his head in a twitchy, spasmodic manner that he'd never seen before; it worried him. Gaara's lapse of control over the bijuu within him had affected him much more than it had seemed at first. There was no questioning that anymore.

There was no hiding from that anymore.

"It's…it's about chakra control," Hinata said, almost to herself. "You have to project just enough that your foot bonds itself to the tree, and you can walk...too little and it won't stay. Too much and you push yourself off, and fall…"

Naruto frowned. "How the…_heck…?"_

Gaara walked over to another tree, looked at it, pressed a hand against the trunk. His hand began to glow. "Hmmm…" he offered, which was more than he'd said since the day began. "The key…to find balance. Trial and error. That is what he wants…until…"

He pressed his free hand up higher on the trunk above his head, and lifted himself up off the ground, legs dangling below him. Gaara tried to reach up and climb further, but when his hand touched the trunk, the bark suddenly shattered and repelled him. He fell, landed on one knee (actually, he landed on sand), glancing down at his hands and then to his feet. "Not…so simple…" he murmured to himself.

He looked over at Hinata again, and Naruto followed his gaze, to see that both her feet were planted solidly on the trunk of her tree, right above the left, leaning forward and studying her feet with her strained, all-seeing eyes. "It's…it's hard to…forget which way is down," she murmured. "I keep…thinking I'll fall if I lean back, but…but Sensei did it so easily…"

"Long practice," Gaara said.

Hinata nodded.

Naruto frowned, feeling a bit out of place. He wasn't the sort of person to dwell on the specifics of how a technique worked. The way he thought of it was like breathing. His body breathed air into his lungs, and expelled it out, and his body worked that way. He didn't know what his lungs _did _with that air, but that didn't stop him from knowing how to do it.

Frowning, he looked down at his feet, like Gaara had and like Hinata was doing, wondering if the answer was there. He didn't see anything particularly telling (not that he'd expected there to be some secret message splayed across his toes or anything), but he did think of something.

The blond picked a tree of his own, centered himself in front of it, and backed up several paces.

_So I just have to center my chakra into my feet, right? _he wondered. _Yeah…I can do that, sure. Just…concentrate. Like when you do a jutsu and focus all that…stuff into your hands. Just…feet. Sure. Feet…feet…feet…okay, _go!!

He bolted into a run.

Hinata and Gaara both turned to look at him as he leaped upward onto the tree and began to sprint upward. By sheer momentum, he made several long strides up before one foot slipped and sent him skidding down to the ground again. He landed with a jarring _thud. _Naruto hissed in pain, held a hand to his right knee for a moment, then stood upright, brushing his pants. He looked around at the pair and grinned.

"Okay, that was _really _fun."

* * *

Kakashi strolled into the clearing where he'd left his students to train and couldn't help but laugh.

Naruto had discarded his orange jacket. It lay at the base of a particularly large tree. The blond genin suddenly came flying down the incline they'd come down to enter the clearing, balanced on a thick strip of bark about as long as he was tall (and, Kakashi noted with approval, using chakra to keep his feet planted), picking up speed and launching himself up and onto the trunk of his chosen specimen, where he sprinted upward for a while before leaping backward into a flip and falling like a stone to the ground. When he landed, he was laughing giddily, blue eyes sparkling.

Hinata was making steady progress, rather slow and halting, but clearly improving. It seemed that her problem was more endurance than application. She knew what to do; it just strained her muscles to do it. Gaara was simply sitting cross-legged on the ground, eyes closed, meditating. Kakashi might have made some comment about that, but decided not to. Strain was _not _what any of them needed when it came to Gaara right now.

"Rather…unorthodox of you, Naruto," the jounin said instead, as the blond was lifting up his strip of bark again. Naruto flinched, dropping his burden and looking chagrined. Kakashi waved his hand. "No, no, go on. You have the right idea. Speed can help in the beginning. Momentum will keep you going."

"H-How do you…center yourself…?" Hinata asked, almost falling. "How do you…deal with _gravity?"_

"It's…a subtle art," Kakashi said. "You may want to try Naruto's tactic, here. Perhaps not the impromptu surfboard, but give yourself a push. Speed up. Don't focus so much on reaching the top just yet. Eventually, that is what I would like, but for now…"

Hinata finally had to push herself back and fall. Kakashi flung a kunai into the tree where she had been standing. "Just see how far you can reach, and make a point to go higher each time you try. Endurance, perseverance, control. You'll need them all if you want to complete this mission intact."

"Intact?" Naruto repeated, snorting. _"That's _real comforting. Least I'll have all my limbs! Maybe they won't _work _anymore, but I _got _'em."

Kakashi smirked. Hinata smiled, but she looked nervous. Gaara opened his eyes and looked at his commander. He looked a little more aware, and Kakashi figured that meditation might be as close to sleep as the former sand-nin would be able to get. There was a certain calmness to his face now, and he almost looked normal.

"You truly believe that our enemy lives," he said.

Kakashi shrugged. "I believe it safer to assume so."

Gaara watched his teacher for a while, frowning thoughtfully. He said no more, though, simply stood and turned to the tree he had picked as his own, looking up its length, then glancing over at his teammates. Breathing deeply, he took a step back, then sprinted forward, a kunai hooked onto one finger. He shot upward, four steps up the trunk, and sliced the bark before jumping back down.

"Getting it," Kakashi noted with a smirk.

He strolled forward, watching as Naruto came speeding into the clearing again. So far, his increased momentum had given him an advantage over his teammates, but Kakashi wondered if the boy realized that the skill he was using to keep himself balanced on his makeshift vehicle was precisely the skill he was supposed to be applying. The jounin decided it didn't matter; so long as he learned. Creativity was one of Uzumaki Naruto's strengths, after all, and expecting anything at all traditional from him was pretty much pointless.

"Hinata," he said, just as the kunoichi dropped to the ground again, looking pleased with herself for reaching about a foot higher than Kakashi's knife. She looked at him. Kakashi withdrew a rolled sheet of paper from one of the pouches in his vest and handed it to her. "This came to me by hawk a few minutes ago. Addressed to you. From home."

Hinata looked surprised. "A…a letter?"

"Yes," Kakashi said. "Decently cryptic, I must admit. Simple enough to decipher for anyone looking to figure it out, but…there's not much information here that could be considered any sort of confidential. Impressive."

"Who's it from?" Naruto wondered.

Hinata unrolled the sheet of paper. As Kakashi left again, deciding it best for his students to learn on their own (and, more importantly, from each other), she smiled. She looked up at Naruto. Gaara was heading over to them.

"Hanabi-chan," she said.

* * *

_Doll, _the letter began ("A code name she gave me when we were little," Hinata explained),

_I don't know how long you will be away from home, but I hope your journey is going well. You're usually so quiet, but there is still something missing at home with you gone. Perhaps it is just _knowing_ that you are gone. This is the longest you have been away, I think. I do not expect that you will write back, but I hope that you will tell me what has happened when you can._

_You know that I have been allowed to go to school with the other children. It is more enjoyable than I thought it would be, the first day. I have a friend now, I think. He laughs. He smiles often and one time he even put his arm around my shoulders (but he took it away when I flinched; I am sorry that I did). He is nice. Father would not like him, but he cannot say anything about it. It would not be proper. I am pleased for that._

_Teacher says I am doing well in my studies. Father, as well. He says that he is proud. I hope that you will be, too, when you see what I have learned. I will show you when you come back home. I will see you soon. Good luck, and come home safely._

_- Flower_

_

* * *

  
_

"Doll and Flower, huh?" Naruto mused. He chuckled. "I like that."

Hinata blushed, but the blond seemed not to notice. Gaara said, "So, Hanabi has entered the academy, hm? The new year began just after we left for this mission."

"Making friends already," Naruto said, chuckling.

"I think it must be Konohamaru-kun," Hinata said. Naruto quirked an eyebrow. "She says that Father would disapprove of him, but can't do anything about it. Who else but Hokage-sama's grandson would Father leave alone?"

"Hm…good point," Naruto ceded.

"She must miss you," Gaara noted. "To send this letter, I mean. It's a risk, even as peaceful as Konoha is, to send messages across borders in all but the most urgent circumstances to shinobi on missions. Sarutobi-sama doesn't allow it to happen very often."

"Well, I _would _say it's not so bad," Naruto said, "but this isn't no C mission anymore." He grinned. "Well, Hinata, guess you'll have a pretty good story for her when we get back, huh? Maybe y'should ask to take her out into the forest, and we'll all tell her about it. With a campfire and all that good stuff. Like Iruka-sensei did that one time. Remember, Gaara?"

Gaara smirked. "Indeed."

Naruto's grin soured somewhat. "Yeah…shaddup. He surprised me, that's all."

"Mm…" Gaara replied.

Naruto nudged Hinata with one elbow. "And we can show her _this _new trick, huh? Have to make sure we get it down before we get home, eh?"

Newly charged, the blond rushed over to his tree-bark surfboard and climbed up the incline for another go. Hinata watched him, glanced at the letter in her hand, then put it into a pocket of her thick jacket and looked up at her own tree, and at Kakashi's kunai still protruding out of it, with renewed determination of her own.

Naruto came speeding through the clearing, and scrambled up a full ten feet before leaping down again, laughing and cheering the entire way. "Oh, man!" he said. "This is the most fun training _ever! _I think it's working!"

And the strange part was…he was right.

Gaara went back to his own tree, and broke into a run.

* * *

_**The nicknames I came up with for Hinata and Hanabi come from the first two syllables of their names. "Hana" is "flower," and "Hina," at least as far as I was able to figure out, loosely means "doll." Close enough for a seven-year-old, I think, anyway. I'm speculating here that Hanabi is rather close to her big sister. Here's my reasoning, though. Not only am I doing this because Hanabi is a blank slate, thanks to Kishimoto putting very little emphasis on her (I mentioned this before), but also, it's part of the difference marked on Hinata's character by being teamed up with her friends.**_

_**If we were dealing with the standard Team Kurenai, with Kiba and Shino as her teammates, I'm not sure the relationship would work quite that way. But Naruto and Gaara are better for her, I think (obviously, since I started this story in the first place), and so there's an improvement. Specifically in her confidence. So, I think Hanabi would respect that, and look up to her Neesan instead of down on her, like Hiashi does.**_

_**The element of Konohamaru was a surprise, but I think it works. **_

_**Hope you enjoyed this, and with any luck the next chapter will be up a bit more promptly than I am known for. Fingers crossed, guys. Pray for me.  
**_


	27. 2, 16: The Root of All True Courage

_**So the schedule thing didn't work out. I am made of fail. Perhaps I may be forgiven for a bit of extra length this time? I hope so.**_

_**I tried to move along the plot a bit more this time. I was told recently that I spent a lot more time on the first fight between Zabuza and Team Kakashi than is perhaps usual, and I think that's a good point. After all, I've been on this baby for quite a long time, and I'm still very early in the series timeline.**_

_**So this chapter, largely based on episode 11 of the anime, is setting things up to move a bit faster. Hopefully it meets with your approval.**_

_**

* * *

**_

"Back rather early," Kakashi said, not bothering to cease his pacing of Tsunami's empty front room.

Gaara and Hinata looked relieved to be back indoors; Naruto looked disappointed. "We thought it would be good to come back in early and get back to it in the morning," Hinata said. "It's hard enough to see in the daylight."

The kunoichi glanced at her teammates, as if to subtly say, _for them, anyway. _Kakashi knew that mere mist would do nothing to stop a Hyuuga from seeing as clearly as a bird of prey. But in the realm of sight, Naruto and Gaara were still mere mortals, bound by their laws and restrictions. Sadly.

The jounin nodded. "I see," he said. "Very well. Rest, then." The way he said it sounded like a command, more than a suggestion. "I expect you up by dawn. We don't know when the enemy will strike again, so we cannot act as though we have the luxury of time. I'll not begrudge your turning in early, but I will not tolerate wasting time. So go. Rest. Gaara, I would speak with you."

Gaara nodded. Naruto patted his friend's shoulder as he passed, and Hinata gave him a soft, reassuring smile. Gaara's lips curved slightly, and he nodded to them as they left the room. Naruto began talking animatedly to Hinata, and one would have thought they hadn't seen each other for months, much less spent the past eight hours training together. For the past few months, for that matter. Hinata's face flushed faintly.

"For all his latent potential," Kakashi murmured under his breath, "the boy is hopeless when it comes to observation." He shook his head, and Gaara managed a chuckle. His commander was right. He had to wonder if Naruto would _ever _realize that Hinata's slate-grey eyes saw him as much more than a comrade in arms. "Is that not one of a shinobi's skills? Observing human behavior?"

Gaara shrugged. "So are silence and subtlety, but there you have it."

"Hmm."

Kakashi cleared his throat, his usual segue when he had another topic he wished to discuss, and Gaara turned his own green eyes to Kakashi's masked face, which was looking serious again. He'd been looking sterner and sterner as the mission continued, and although Gaara had no way of knowing this, he was slipping further and further into the no-nonsense soldier he had been in his youth; the soldier he'd been trained to be.

"Is it manageable?" Kakashi asked his student, and it didn't sound all that much like a question; it sounded like a command. Gaara eyed his leader solemnly for a long moment, deciding how to answer, and Kakashi very nearly averted his gaze; the ghost of the Shukaku's savage madness still lingered there.

"It will have to be," Gaara finally said, soberly, more to himself. "I've no choice in the matter."

"There is always a choice," Kakashi said cryptically. When Gaara raised a confused eyebrow at him, he added, "The choice to continue fighting, or lie down and die. I am asking you in all seriousness, as your leader, if you have the will and the strength to continue this mission, and indeed this career. Ah—" Kakashi held up his hand, "—don't answer me yet. I want you to think, Gaara. I want you to focus on the exhaustion I know you're feeling right now; I want you to bask in it. _Drown _in it. I want you to decide whether being a soldier is worth that, because it isn't going to get any easier from this point onward. It will, in all likelihood, become harder."

Gaara scowled. "I said it before, Sensei: I've no choice. Do you think giving up is a 'choice' where I was born? Do you think my father would have looked at me and said, 'Go ahead and give up. Fail. It's okay.' Konoha may have taught me many lessons about how life should be lived. I believe that. However, it has not dampened the belief that failure is not to be tolerated. It has, _in all likelihood, _strengthened it."

Kakashi didn't bother to mention that Gaara's father would have _welcomed _his son giving up. It would have made assassination so much easier. Instead, he crossed his arms and said, "Very well. Hold on to that conviction. It will serve you well. Now, I will ask you again: is it manageable? Are you fit to continue?"

"Yes."

"Are you absolutely certain?"

"I am."

"Even though you may very well lose control again, _without _the good fortune of a random hunter putting you out of action before you end up hurting, and killing, your teammates? The teammates that you call brother, and sister? Think of them and answer me: _are you fit to continue?"_

"I. Am."

Kakashi locked eyes with Gaara for a long moment before nodding, looking satisfied. "Good." He cleared his throat again. "Now, then. I noticed that you were meditating for much of this day's training, while your teammates worked on the lesson I provided them. I…trust that _was _meditation."

"It was."

"And it assists you in regaining your strength and composure."

"I have done it for years," Gaara said. "My…my uncle taught me. He knew before I did, and taught me, that sleep let too much control out of my hands. My only option, thus, was a compromise. That compromise is what you witnessed today. Usually, I wait until nightfall. The hours just before dawn."

Kakashi hummed thoughtfully. "The tea that Hinata provided for you. Did it assist you, as well?"

Gaara shrugged. "It was refreshing. I enjoyed the taste. I doubt that it did anything meaningful, aside from that." He managed a mirthless chuckle. "Not that I could tell her that." He looked up. "Do _you _know of anything that would…assist me further?"

And that, Kakashi thought, was the closest Sabaku no Gaara would come to asking for help shouldering the burden that had been thrust on him since birth. That was the nearest he would come to admitting that he didn't have, or didn't want to _exert, _the strength necessary to keep going like this. And honestly, who could blame him? The life of a soldier was hard enough; the life of a jinchuuriki was nigh-unbearable.

The jounin said, "I'll discuss this…issue with the Hokage. We shall see if there isn't…something that can be done. You will need to…muscle through this mission, however, if you wish to continue. I will say again that you have the option of heading back to Konoha by yourself. Trust me: none of us will think less of you."

Gaara chuckled again, and again there was no humor in it. "Naruto wouldn't. Hinata wouldn't. _Maybe _you wouldn't. But…I would. I will continue, as I have said. Was this all you wished to speak with me about, then? I should like to rest."

Kakashi thought that that was the first time he'd ever heard the red-haired boy say such a thing.

He made a point of remembering it.

"Very well," Kakashi said, and waved a dismissive hand. "I shall collect you at dawn. I wish to take note of your progress."

Gaara nodded.

* * *

"What're you doing over there all by yourself?"

Hinata looked over at Tazuna and offered a smile. "Sensei watched our training this morning," she said, "and said that I've learned all that I can from the exercise. So he said that I should come here to the bridge to guard you, while Naruto-kun and Gaara-kun stay out in the forest."

Tazuna raised an eyebrow. "Sent _you, _huh?"

There was an undeniable skepticism in the old man's voice. Hinata's smile widened, however, and she activated her bloodline limit. She said, "Out of the four of us," with no trace of animosity or even disappointment at her charge's continued lack of faith in her, "I am the best equipped to see a threat coming. Even in this mist."

Tazuna frowned, adjusted his hardhat, and eventually shrugged. "Whatever," he grumbled. "I don't understand all that ninja talk. You just keep sharp, then, girlie, and make sure nobody—"

He stopped. One of the workers had dropped his tools and was walking up to Tazuna. Hinata thought that he had the look of a condemned man, approaching his executioner. Her smile faded as the man came closer. From the look on his face, and Tazuna's, she knew that whatever he had to say, it wouldn't be good news.

The worker had a haggard, sunken face. He looked even more withered and drained than Tazuna did. In fact, Hinata thought, out of all the workers and even villagers that she had seen so far, Tazuna was actually one of the healthiest, despite his age and obvious weariness. At least, she thought, Tazuna still had the spark of life in his eyes, an inspiration to keep going, and fight whatever came his way. This worker, though, looked like the walking dead. His eyes were blank, and when he finally stopped in front of his boss and began to speak, his lips barely moved, and his voice was the quiet, nearly incomprehensible mumble of a long-time prisoner who'd spent far too much time locked in a cell.

"Ah…Tazuna."

Tazuna raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"

"Listen, Tazuna…I…we've been…well…"

"Out with it, man!" Tazuna snarled impatiently. "We're far enough behind schedule as it is. If you have something to say, say it. Otherwise…"

A look of sudden, fearful comprehension dawned on Tazuna's weathered face as his fellow worker continued to fidget, and he didn't bother to finish the sentence. He knew, just as Hinata knew, what was going to happen next. They waited with something that wasn't quite anticipation for the man to finally bring up the courage to speak.

"I…I don't think…I can continue to…to work on the bridge…" he said. "I think…I'm going to head back home. I-I'm sorry, Tazuna, but I have to…I have to…well, please. Allow me to…to quit."

It was painful to listen to the man. It was painful to watch his face as he forced the words from his mouth. It was even more painful, Hinata thought, to watch Tazuna's reaction; he looked like a proud father watching as a favored son shamed him to his face. A spasm of anger crossed the old man's face, replaced almost instantly with a kind of hesitant understanding. He knew why his worker was bowing out of the work, of course. He just didn't like it. He clenched a fist as if preparing to knock the man's teeth out, then forced his fingers to uncurl as he heaved a great sigh and shook his head.

The worker, taking this gesture of defeat as a refusal, went pale and continued to stammer. "Please, Tazuna! If we keep this up…if we…if we keep working on the bridge…! Gatou will kill us! He'll kill us all! Just like Kai—"

Tazuna's face hardened, his eyes flaring with a savage, pained fury that Hinata had never seen from him, and the worker suddenly fell silent. Tazuna sneered disdainfully for a moment before turning his back and lifting a hand. "Go. Get out of here. Run, hide, let him run your life. I don't care anymore."

The worker flinched violently. "T-Tazuna…I…I'm so—"

"Don't apologize," Tazuna said softly, almost gently. He shook his head again and looked back over his shoulder. His eyes had softened now, and he even managed a slight smile. "I understand. I can stick my own neck out all I want. I can't ask you to do the same. Go on home, before I drag you to your own execution. It's okay."

Hinata smiled. The worker bowed his head, and left in what wasn't quite a run, but close.

Tazuna saw the young Hyuuga looking at him and sighed again. "The word 'courage' doesn't seem to have any meaning around here anymore. It's like…like Gatou's just…snuffed it out of everyone." He laughed bitterly. "The man really knows how to run a business, doesn't he? The sniveling little…"

Hinata's smile left her face. "Don't stop fighting, Tazuna-san," she said, and her soft voice was a bit harder, sterner than usual. Tazuna raised an eyebrow at her. "You can't lose," she continued, "unless you let the enemy win."

* * *

The village proper was one of the most disheartening places Hyuuga Hinata had ever seen.

The people of her home were happy people; they smiled and waved and laughed. They met with friends on the streets. They whistled as they headed home after work. They basked in the glow of the afternoon sun. They…_lived. _But the people here didn't look like they were living to Hinata; waiting for death to take you wasn't living. It wasn't even surviving. It was the slowest, most heartbreaking form of suicide.

The streets had the desolate, sterile caste of a cemetery, and the people fittingly reminded the grey-eyed kunoichi of a graveyard's tenents. It was as if the Uchiha District had picked itself up, its former inhabitants along with it, and expanded into an entire village.

She supposed that was a _bit _melodramatic, but it still made her heart constrict to see these poor people. Beggars sat huddled outside of shops that were only open because their owners didn't have the heart to shut them down, as they didn't have the heart to do anything. Those walking along the streets with Hinata and Tazuna didn't really look like they wanted to be there. They had only escaped the relative safety of their homes because they absolutely had to.

They shuffled along, like zombies. The only people who looked alert, the only ones truly aware of their surroundings, were thieves and pickpockets. She actually saw one of them sneak a hand into an elderly woman's purse, only to come out with nothing. This was bitterly amusing, she thought, in a way that might have made Gaara smirk. Hinata didn't, though. She only found it sad to think that this village was so rundown that even the criminals were out of work.

"Tsunami asked me to pick up some things for dinner," Tazuna said as they walked. Hinata hadn't asked where they were going; she wondered if maybe he was simply trying to start conversation. She smiled and nodded. She activated her bloodline limit after barely dodging the third attempt to steal the pouch she kept at her belt. Tazuna glanced at her. "Good idea," he said. "Can't trust anybody these days." He said this as if it pained him to admit it.

"This is all…because of Gatou?" Hinata asked.

"Might as well be," Tazuna grumbled. "Oh, sure, you could say that it's just human nature to be wicked. And maybe it is. Maybe this _is _just what happens when times get tough. Maybe people just…change. I don't know. But the…the _degredation_ of this place…it started with Gatou. And unless that bridge is finished…it'll _end _with him, too. The bastard will bleed us dry. And it's not like he _cares."_

They crossed the threshold into a produce store, where a sullen storekeeper looked up at them with blank, tired eyes and mumbled, "Welcome…" before slumping back onto the counter and closing his eyes. He probably didn't even care if anyone robbed him. There were hardly enough goods on his shelves to bother stealing them, anyway.

Hinata cleared her throat. "I can see you," she said softly. "If you'd like some ointment for that cut on your cheek, please, go ahead and take some. There are some shuriken and kunai in there, too, if you need to defend yourself. But you won't find any money."

Tazuna frowned at her until he saw the man standing behind her, one hand still inches from the pouch on her belt, staring like a dirty, scarred owl at the back of Hinata's head. The young kunoichi actually had a smile on her face again. "…More steel in that girl than I gave her credit for…" Tazuna mumbled. He glared at the would-be thief. "Well? You done? Gonna ask the girl if you can have some of her ointment?"

The thief growled incoherently. He stared at Tazuna for a moment.

"Walk away," Tazuna said. "We'll all be better off. I won't have to waste any more time getting home, the little lady won't have to waste any more time dealing with you, and _you _won't have to deal with the shame of losing a fight to a twelve-year-old."

Hinata giggled like a little girl (and really, she _was _a little girl), and the thief stammered for a moment. Hinata said, "Buy your groceries, Tazuna-san. This is my job." She said it nonchalantly, but the only reason Tazuna didn't hear the nervousness in her voice was because he wasn't observant enough. She could hide it well enough from untrained civilians, but she couldn't hide it from herself.

She remembered her teammates. She thought of how Naruto would handle this situation, and her smile came more easily as she heard the blonde's voice cry out in her head, _"Hey, lookie here! Can't even get up the gall to steal from someone his own age! Well, then? C'mon, cutpurse! Try me! Let's go!"_

Gaara, she knew, wouldn't say anything. He would simply stand there, arms crossed, and let his sand do the work. He would smirk as the man sucked in his breath and let out a whimper of pain; or scream like a banshee. It depended on how often this particular man had had his bones broken.

Hinata didn't think she could quite match her teammates, but she was determined to try. And so, as the thief straightened, screwing up his face and drawing a short, battered knife from his belt, she didn't let herself feel fear. She thought of Naruto, and Gaara, and she drew in a steadying breath.

_This is just training, _she told herself.

And when the thief made to strike, she whirled. Her hands shot out like snakes, slamming into her target with such deadly precision that even her father would have been impressed (maybe). The thief's weapon clattered to the dirt-streaked floor, and the thief was quick to follow it.

When she turned, Hinata saw Tazuna staring at her.

"…Ninja, indeed…" the old man breathed, clearly shaken.

Hinata smiled.

* * *

Naruto was positively explosive when Tazuna mentioned the "fight" later on that evening.

"Atta girl!" he cried happily, one arm draped over the Hyuuga's shoulders as he laughed. Hinata laughed with him, but nervously. Her face was as red as a summer sunburn, but it was clear nonetheless that she was pleased. "Aw, man, I wish I'd seen that! That Jyuuken stuff is awesome! Hey, hey! Did he cry? Huh? D'ya make him cry?"

"He…he _couldn't _cry. He was unconscious."

This only made the blonde laugh again.

Gaara, looking much more alert today, allowed a smile onto his lips. He said nothing, but his eyes and his face clearly said, _Well done. _Hinata's face flushed an even darker red. Gaara's small smile widened, but then he turned his attention to the one member of their current party who _wasn't _participating in the celebratory atmosphere. One person wasn't the slightest bit interested in the conversation, in Hinata's performance _or _his and Naruto's progress with tree-climbing, which was steadily improving.

"Sensei was sayin' you got the whole chakra control thing down," Naruto was saying, "but you need help with endurance 'n stuff. I know endurance. I'm good at that. I can help ya! Like, maybe we'll have you stand upside down on a branch! That'd be cool. And, like, you stand there as long as you can. The more you practice, the better it gets. Know what I mean? You have to, like, _soak in _the pain. Oh…yeah. Blood'd probably rush to your head and make you pass out, huh? Well, okay, maybe not upside down."

Naruto continued in this vein, Hinata was listening intently (she always listened to anything Naruto said), but Gaara found his attention drawn inexorably to Tsunami's young son, Inari, who was sulking at a far corner of the table, across from his mother. The boy was pushing his food on his plate, clearly not interested in eating. His face was hidden by a large hat.

"You have the right idea, Naruto," Kakashi was saying now, "but I'm not entirely certain that tying rocks to her wrists will do much good…"

"Sure it would! Build up strength, right? Not little rocks! Big ones! And she could use 'em like a weapon, too! _Wham! _Right across the—oh, sorry, Tsunami-san. I, uh…didn't mean to break that. Here, lemme…"

Inari hadn't spoken more than a handful of words since the four shinobi had enterd into his home. He didn't respond when his mother asked if he would like more seasoning on his vegetables, or a fresh glass of milk. He didn't even _look_ at his grandfather. His black eyes flickered up to look at Naruto every once in a while, as if drawn despite himself to watch the blonde's antics. He looked up at Gaara, sensing that he was being watched.

Gaara didn't say anything; he simply continued to watch the boy's face. A face that was old beyond its years. A familiar face. Like the face of a brother. The red-haired genin remained silent, and Inari followed suit. What followed was a strange species of staring contest; each trying to gauge the other. Gaara felt suddenly uneasy, looking into those young-old eyes for too long.

After a while, Inari simply stood up from the table, breaking eye contact with a jerk of his head, and made to leave the room. Tsunami stood up. "Inari? Where are you going, sweetie? Are you finished? Inari?" She looked helplessly at her son's back as the boy slipped out of the room. The young woman closed her eyes and sat back down, almost collapsing onto her chair. Tazuna frowned, but offered no condolence to his daughter.

Gaara was now watching the door where Inari had left.

"…What was _that _about?" Naruto asked, and turned to look at his friend. "Gaara, what've I told you about staring at small children? They run away from you!" He grinned at the joke, but it faded when Gaara didn't even look at him. "Oi. Gaara. What's going on? What's up with him? What's up with _you?"_

Gaara frowned. He looked at Tazuna. "Most inhabitants of this village are sullen, withdrawn. It seems, however, that your grandson is particularly bitter. If I were to guess…he has had direct, or nearly direct, contact with this…Gatou."

Tazuna looked like he didn't _want _to be impressed. "…Yeah," he grumbled. "That's about right. Like I…like I was tellin'…er…Hinata, was it? Mm. Like I was telling Hinata earlier…this place's turned into a damned cesspool ever since Gatou set his eyes on it. More than that, though…it…well…"

Tsunami's face twisted with pain, and she quickly left the room on the pretense of finding her son.

Tazuna heaved a sigh. He did that a lot.

"It all started…when Kaiza was murdered."

* * *

It was quiet.

Haku liked quiet. Not only because it was peaceful, of course. Tactically speaking, a ninja _thrived _on quiet. At least, that was how Zabuza-sama taught him. And Zabuza-sama had yet to be proven wrong. People always made the mistake of thinking that Momochi Zabuza was a common thug, a bloodthirsty killer with no time for rational thought. But while that was true _sometimes, _it was a grave mistake to consider it true at _all _times.

But then, Zabuza-sama liked it when people made assumptions about him. He found it amusing, for one thing, and for another, it always made things easier when people thought he was stupid, or rash, or crazy. Or all three. So yes, he let people make their assumptions. Most of the time, they proved quite beneficial. Which, of course, was why Haku never bothered to correct the assumption that he was female, and in fact perpetuated the idea at every opportunity.

Well…most opportunities, anyway.

Waraji and Zouri were Gatou's personal bodyguards. They fancied themselves samurai, but Haku had a sneaking suspicion that the swords they carried had been stolen, and they were no more samurai than Gatou was a politician. He didn't like them. Waraji liked to show off his upper body, especially the tattoos covering the left side of his body and down his left arm. He wore an eyepatch over one eye, and his hair…well, Haku wasn't sure _what _to make of Waraji's hair. Except that it was ugly.

And Zouri…well, all right, Haku supposed he didn't have any specific grievences against Zouri except for the fact that he was in the service of Gatou, who was fast becoming the worst employer he and Zabuza-sama had ever had the displeasure of interacting with. Just looking at him made the boy assassin's blood boil, and for the pig-faced mongrel to show his face _now _only meant one thing.

Zabuza-sama didn't look over as Gatou stomped inside and his guards slipped in after him, trying to be stealthy (they sounded like clomping wildebeasts to Haku). Zabuza-sama didn't say a word. He simply lay flat in bed, staring up at the ceiling. Haku sat beside his master and did not move. He resisted the urge to scowl when Gatou's grating voice screeched in upon the silence,

"You've some nerve showing your face to me after _this!"_

_He _didn't _show his face to you, _Haku thought savagely.

Zabuza-sama said nothing.

And so Haku said nothing.

"Some _demon _you are," Gatou continued pompously. "Oh, yes, you're right fearsome! It seems that shinobi from the Mist are quite _overrated. _Can't even clean up your own subordinates' mess, is that right? Remind me why I pay you again."

No reaction crossed Zabuza-sama's face. He continued to stare straight up, ignoring Gatou as effortlessly as he would have ignored an insect on the wall. Gatou stalked over, his piggish face quivering with indignant fury. "Well?!" he demanded, and Haku wondered fleetingly if the great idiot knew how ridiculous he looked. "Anything to _say _for yourself, _Demon of the Mist?!"_

"There is no need to shout," Haku murmured softly.

Gatou sneered at him. "Who asked _you?" _He turned his face back to Zabuza-sama and gestured wildly. "Just who _is _this little brat you keep with you, anyway? Picked up your own personal whore, did you? Maybe _that's _why you can't finish the damn job! Maybe she's been _distracting _you, eh?! Maybe I should _get rid of her!"_

"Gatou-sama," Haku said, straining with the effort to keep his voice level, "I do not know who you are referring to, as there are no females in this room."

Gatou stared, and his sneer returned. "…Eh. _That's _how you swing, is that right, 'Demon'?"

Haku smiled brightly. "I assure you, Zabuza-sama has never shown the faintest interest in my body."

"…You piss me off," Gatou snapped. "You _both _have turned into nothing but a liability! Get rid of the brat! I'll handle _this _one personally…"

Gatou made to strangle Zabuza-sama. As if he had the strength to do it.

Haku's smile widened.

It was time.

Gatou's sneer twisted into a grimace of pain as the young hunter's hand clamped onto his fat, pudgy wrist. "I do not believe my master has given you permission to touch him," he said, without the faintest trace of pleasantness on his smooth, childlike face anymore. "You do not want to _touch _my master without his permission."

"…G-Get him, damn you!"

Waraji and Zouri drew steel.

The crack of bone, a breath of wind, and the _clang _of blade against blade echoed in the twilit air. Haku stood between the pair of amateur samurai, a hand clamped on each of their weapons. Each blade's tip was pressed against the other's throat.

"…You don't want to do that to me…" he whispered. "I'm getting angry…and I don't _like _it when people make me angry…"

Haku's normally gentle, twinkling eyes were the blank, sinister, gaping holes of a dead skull. There was no feeling in them, there was _nothing _in them. Nothing but ice-rimmed purpose and mechanical resolve. He was no longer human. No, he was no human now; he was what Zabuza-sama taught him to be:

A weapon.

The samurai stared at him, each too petrified to move for fear of puncturing their throats with their own weapons. They tried to remove their hands from Haku's ironclad grip, but found to their terror that they couldn't. The young hunter slowly, so slowly, turned his eyes from Zouri, to Waraji, to Gatou.

And they began to wonder just who the _real _Demon of the Mist was.

"…I think we're done here," Haku whispered. "Don't you agree…?"

Gatou's guards were flung backward, their weapons just behind them. Waraji's sword poked him in the backside, and he yelped like a frightened puppy. Haku adjusted his shoulders, and clenched and unclenched his fists. He glanced nonchalantly at his 'employer' and raised a thin black eyebrow. "Ninja of the Mist may, in fact, be overrated. I would honestly not know. We are not ninja of the Mist."

Gatou stared at him.

"I am not Zabuza-sama's whore, by the way," Haku continued. "I am his apprentice."

Zabuza-sama continued to stare up at the ceiling; he refused to acknowledge that Gatou was still in the room. Haku thought that it was this—more than anything—that caused him to suddenly decide to leave. "I-I-I'll be back!" Gatou cried, trying to sound threatening and failing. "D-Don't think that I'll accept y-your f-f-failure again! I won't! Y-You don't want to fail me again! I-I have more power than you think! _Understand?!"_

The door slammed shut, and silence reigned again.

Haku liked silence.

It was peaceful.

"…That was hardly necessary," Zabuza-sama grumbled, finally shifting his eyes to look at Haku as he sat back down. Haku glanced at the covers as Zabuza-sama shifted them to show the kunai clenched in his left fist. "I had things well enough in hand."

Haku's smile returned.

"Perhaps it wasn't necessary," the hunter said, "but it was rather cathartic."

"Ngh."

"We shouldn't shed ourselves of him just yet," Haku said. "As you told me, he is worth more to us alive right now. We are better off, at the moment, if he continues to breathe. We should be patient for now, yes? I think that sounds like a decent idea."

Zabuza-sama grunted. "Right. Well…you were the one who just talked about catharsis."

Haku's smile widened.

* * *

_**Next chapter will probably tell Kaiza's story and set up the main bout between Team Kakashi and Team Zabuza. I've been trying to set up this last fight in my head for a long time; choreographing fight scenes is still kind of difficult for me. I'm not used to them. **_

_**So again, if any of my faithful audience has any suggestions, feel free to send them on over. I could surely use the help.  
**_


	28. 2, 17: Fairy Tale of Sin

**_I feel like a broken record by this point, but I do hope that I may be forgiven for the abysmally long time since my last update. Drama has been piling up and piling up for the past...well, it seems like forever. My classes seemed hell-bent on taking my brain out and sending it through a meat grinder; I've been working on my first original novel and am still nowhere near the point where I can publish it, several months later; the landlord at my previous residence proved to be a grade-A moron and this led to a somewhat-expected move a few blocks away, and it's only just now reaching the point that it feels like home._**

**_My mind has been continuously going in sixteen directions at once lately, and sitting down to write these works of fanfiction has been obscenely difficult. All this said, however, I think that I've finally hit on something that works, and while it's certainly true that this story arc has been taking a long time, it's finally nearing conclusion. I hope you will continue to be patient with me. With luck, and continued support, I hope to conquer this case of writer's block and finally hit on a proper flow again._**

**_I'm so sorry to have taken six months to update; I never meant for things to get this far out of hand. But I hope that you will find this satisfactory._**

**_Thank you all for putting up with me._**

**_

* * *

  
_**

"He was…crucified. In front of his own son."

Tazuna had his eyes closed, and Tsunami had her head down. Both looked as though they were mourners at the fisherman's funeral, praying for the safety of the man who had become a hero; the linchpin of their village's morale. As he listened to a story that sounded uncomfortably familiar (it sounded like something that wouldn't have been out of place in his former homeland), Gaara realized that this Gatou was at least passably intelligent. He didn't like praising the man; he sounded like just another bullying child looking for insects to crush beneath his shoe.

But killing Kaiza, no matter what one could say, had been a sound, and logical, tactic.

While crass, and heartless, it had worked.

This village had lost its collective will to fight, and all Gatou had had to do was take out one crucial element. Strike at the cornerstone, topple the structure. It was just that simple. In Gatou's position, Gaara would have done no differently. The red-haired genin liked to think that he would never _be _in Gatou's position, but he was a soldier. A battlefield was no time to be thinking about such moral pleasantries.

Still, he was tactful enough to keep these thoughts silent.

"After Kaiza…nobody tried to fight anymore," Tazuna said. "He'd proven his damned point, and the people listened. Most of them. I got a few…_pitifully_ few, by now, to stand up and keep on in his memory, but…it's not working. I need to be honest with myself. It's just not working."

Kakashi let out a heavy breath and leaned back in his chair. "And so, you called us."

Tazuna nodded. "Gatou has ninja in his service. You've seen them. I thought the only way we could really stand a chance at driving the bastard out of our home would be to…play his game. Bring in ninja of our own. But of course, we're so dirt poor around here that there was no chance at affording the kind of muscle we needed." The old man looked up, and he actually offered a small smile as he nodded in Hinata's direction. "At least, that's what I thought. Who knows? Maybe this will work out, after all. Your…men, pardon the expression, are better than I gave them credit for."

Kakashi chuckled. "They're better than anyone gave them credit for, and that includes me, _and _themselves." Naruto flashed a toothy grin, Hinata blushed, and Gaara made no visible reaction. He wondered why his commander was paying them so many compliments. Was it as simple as their being more adept than he'd anticipated? Or maybe it was simple tact. Perhaps he was doing it as an act of diplomacy. Naruto and Hinata, neither of whom were used to being noticed for their accomplishments, reacted quite well to it. Hinata, especially, with her distinct lack of general self-esteem, needed the attention.

And Gaara…well, he had to be honest with himself. He was unbalanced.

He could _feel _it within him, that cold psychosis coiling in his gut. Such reinforcement of positive qualities…well, perhaps it helped. Gaara wasn't sure. He appreciated the sentiment, if nothing else. He wondered, though, just how honest it was. But, he supposed that if it had a positive effect (and judging by his teammates, it did), then honesty didn't matter very much. In a world made up of lies, the white ones were not only accepted, but expected.

Considering Kakashi's track record with students (that is, he'd had none until them), Gaara had to think that his lavish praise was purely functional. He wasn't lying, per se, but he pointed it out so often strictly to keep them psychologically sound, to keep them in high spirits, and properly motivated, until he could get them home and regroup. Gaara supposed he couldn't blame him; Kakashi had been saddled with a very unbalanced squad, generally speaking, and the current situation was doing the exact opposite of helping.

"So," Kakashi continued, noting that Gaara was looking at him but not commenting on it, "this was an act of desperation on your part. The odds are not in our favor, I hope you know. We do not know just how many soldiers he has in his service, and if he still has men of Momochi Zabuza's caliber waiting on the sidelines, we may be in for a…problem."

"Do you think that likely?" Gaara asked.

"I wouldn't bother guessing. Best to assume he does. He has the funding."

"Awesome," Naruto muttered.

"It seems that Gatou has a particular fondness for psychological tactics," Kakashi said. "Terrorism. That is...fortunate. Shinobi are taught to disregard such things. You three," he said to his team, "were taught by Iruka, so you weren't taught to think like weapons. He is…not very fond of that theology. I am not certain that I blame him. That is, perhaps, a disadvantage. But it can be overcome."

In the ensuing silence, Tsunami finally spoke.

She said, haltingly, "Do you think…getting rid of Gatou…do you think it might help Inari…? Maybe he'll get better…?"

Kakashi looked thoughtful. He didn't answer immediately.

"It's a first step," Gaara said, when the silence went on for a few seconds. "I will say this: so long as Gatou is a threat, he will not recover. He will not _want _to recover. This is a defense mechanism. A…familiar one, personally speaking. I would venture to think that he is angry with Kaiza for abandoning him. However, he feels guilty for this anger; and confused, because the guilt does not banish the anger."

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Don't sound to me like Kaiza _abandoned_ anybody."

"Of course not," Gaara said, waving a dismissive hand. "It is not a _logical_ conclusion. That does not mean it doesn't exist. Inari is young. Younger than we, _far _younger if we're speaking in terms of emotional development. He does not fully understand just what has happened here. He is still egocentric. All the world is here, in this village. And if Kaiza, his idol, his hero, has been defeated…then there is no chance for anybody. Heroes no longer exist to him."

"So if he's gonna feel better," Naruto concluded, "then he's gonna have to find out that they _do. _That's why Gatou has to bite it. He's the bad guy. The villain."

"Basically, yes," Gaara said.

Kakashi was nodding. "They speak truth, Tsunami. This is our part. If the focus is to be on raising the morale of the village, and your son specifically, then dealing with Gatou is our part of the equation. Tazuna, _your _part is to continue working on the bridge. If you stop, for any reason, the village, and Inari, will view it as the final nail in the coffin. Tsunami…you have a job as well. I think you know this. You cannot let your son see that this ordeal wears upon you, as well. As his mother, you were, and are, his foremost emotional attachment, and that must remain strong. _You _must remain strong. He has lost one parent. He cannot lose the other, to anything."

Tsunami nodded. "Of course. I understand."

"I know that you do. Keep it well in mind."

Naruto shot to his feet. "All righty, then!" he declared.

"…Naruto-kun?" Hinata ventured, speaking for the first time in a long while.

The blond winked. "If Inari don't believe in heroes anymore, then we just gotta _show_ him!"

"Let me guess," Gaara said, smiling faintly, "you will be the one to prove it to him. You will be the hero of this story."

"Naturally!"

Hinata smiled now, as well. Kakashi looked amused.

Tazuna crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow. Tsunami looked halfway between exasperated and hopeful. Naruto had that general effect on people. He seemed to thrive on it. As he straightened his jacket, he winked, and headed for the door.

"Heroes need to train much more diligently than those of us who are merely mortal," Gaara noted.

"Damn skippy!" Naruto called back.

* * *

When the master is sleeping, the servant must be diligent.

When the master is vulnerable, the servant becomes the bodyguard. Wherever the master has a weakness, the servant becomes his armor. This Haku had been taught, and upon this Haku thrived. He rose early, before the sun. No sound came from Zabuza-sama; he still rested. This was good.

The young hunter stretched, drew in a deep breath of pre-dawn air, and rose to his feet. He elected to wear his pink, flower-print kimono today; always utilize the advantage. He looked like a girl, and so it was better to accentuate the fact than detract from it; to be more subtle would ruin the illusion. Surely no male, no hot-blooded young man, would be caught dead in such a ridiculously feminine outfit.

Hence, he must be female. Ergo, he must be harmless.

Male chauvanism...such a convenient idea.

It would be a headache to convince his master, but Haku nonetheless decided that it was best to be prepared; after brushing his long black hair, he left their hideaway and headed off to find the proper herbs with which to make a particular tea that would help in Zabuza-sama's physical recovery.

He held no honest hope that he would be able to convince Zabuza-sama to indulge in such a drink; the Demon of the Mist held fast to the theory that sheer willpower would see him through any sickness or injury, and that to use anything _but _that willpower was a crutch.

Zabuza-sama had no interest in crutches.

As Haku made his way through the mist and trees that encapsulated the land, he thought that it was a shame to have branded such a place as a battlefield. It was beautiful, in its own way, and bloodshed seemed a sacrilege. But, then, Haku had no leg on which to stand when it came to such things. Was he not inherently, and irrevocably, blasphemous himself?

After all, he had sold his soul to the devil. Hadn't he?

Such dark thoughts did not behoove the innocent, farmer's-daughter's face that Haku wore right now, and he found that suitably ironic. He made sure to work his mask into a pleasant smile, because that was what farmer's daughters should wear, especially while on an early-morning stroll.

He began to hum a soft, tuneless little melody as he saught his quarry, and he made sure to pick a flower for each herb, so as to hide his true motive. Was anyone likely to see him out here? No. On the off-chance that someone _did _see him out here, would that someone think to look into his basket to see what he was collecting? No. If that someone _did _think to look into his basket, would they see anything but random plants? No.

But, Haku was nothing if not studiously cautious. So he had been taught, and upon such he thrived.

Excuses did no good against the fury of a man like Zabuza-sama. Haku was his only student, the only subordinate he trusted (if it could be said that Zabuza-sama trusted _anyone), _and it was precisely because of this that Haku would be quite severely punished if he happened to let any pertinent information leak to the enemy.

Haku had learned the proverbial hard way that being punished by Momochi Zabuza meant deciding between praying to live through it and praying to die during it.

* * *

He found the boy lying on his back, eyes closed and mouth open.

He _looked _fast asleep, but looks were naught but cursory in the world of shinobi, and Haku knew better than most that to take anything at face value was a horrendously stupid move liable to end in death. The boy's hair was blond, messy, and Haku would have been surprised to hear that a comb had been used on it in the past decade.

The boy's face was smeared with sweat and dirt. The undersides of his fingernails were all but black. His orange attire was dusty and beaten. He was, in short, a complete mess. The precise antithesis of Haku, who was meticulously, religiously clean. A part of him marveled at the fairy-tale irony of this meeting, and smiled at the thought of taking this boy home to introduce him to Mama and Papa.

Yes. Fairy tale, indeed.

Haku kneeled down beside the prone blond and contemplated his options. He knew that this was one of the Copy Ninja's students, and thus he knew that this dusty child was no idle threat. Yes, he looked young, and yes, he _was _young. But then, Haku was young, too. And yes, this boy _looked_ about as dangerous as an earthworm, but...Haku _looked_ about as dangerous as a flower arrangement.

The duality was not lost on his hunter, not at all.

It would be perhaps most efficient to snuff this threat now. It would put the rest of them on high alert, but then, Zabuza-sama would approve of that. He would find dark amusement in showing these newbies just what happened when a ninja let his—or her—guard down, and he would revel in the added challenge that would result in this warning.

Yes. Zabuza-sama would approve.

It was that fact, and only that fact, which decided the answer for Haku.

He reached down, one dainty, porcelain hand closing in on the dusty, tanned skin of the blond genin's neck. Just one firm grip, one deft twist, and it would all be over. No pain, no sound, no preamble. The act of death, reduced to simple routine.

He did not count on what happened next.

Just as Haku was preparing to end it, he felt something. What it was, he couldn't be sure, but he knew better than to misjudge intuition. He felt...heat. Blazing, furious, _evil_ heat. He snatched his hand back and stared at his palm, expecting a burn. There was no burn, but there was the...idea of a burn. The _concept _of a burn. His skin tingled with the intangible pain of it.

The blond boy opened his eyes.

Haku quickly forced himself into the facsimile of a frightened jump (it wasn't as difficult as it might have been a few moments ago), and let out a girlish little cry. "Oh!" said he, and the blond looked at him. "I'm so sorry! I thought...I thought maybe you...were hurt."

The blond blinked owlishly at him, then shot forward to a sitting position. The nonchalant speed with which he made this transition betrayed his training, and Haku found himself impressed. This was...quite the unpredictable shinobi.

Haku liked unpredictable.

"Hurt?" the blond repeated, stretching and turning to face his new companion. "Nah! Not me! I'm not hurt. Just resting. Must've dozed off, I guess." He looked up at the sky. "Wow. Light out. Must've _really _dozed off." He turned his attention back to Haku. "Hiya!" he said suddenly, as if just realizing that he didn't know who Haku was, and that an introduction was in order.

Haku smiled. "Good morning," he said.

"What're you doing out here?" asked the blond pleasantly, as if he lived here and Haku were a visitor. The hunter let his smile widen just a bit, and contemplated what to say. This was an Enemy, pleasant or not. That meant caution was in order.

"I'm gathering herbs," Haku said, and he would wonder later at the suddenness of this decision, and curse the folly of it. "A friend of mine is injured, and I hope to heal him." Haku lifted a sprig from his basket and showed the boy, who looked at it studiously but probably couldn't tell it from a common weed.

"Medicine?" the boy wondered. "Friend of _mine's _real good with medicine. She'd probably know more about that stuff than me. So, so...are you going to be a doctor? Or a nurse?" Haku marveled at the idea that _this _was a fellow ninja, and that no more than a year—possibly two—separated their ages.

Innocence was a rare commodity, and Haku rarely encountered it anymore, even among the smallest of children. He wondered just what had warned him against killing this boy, and how it could possibly exist in someone like him.

Such malevolence seemed entirely out of character.

But then, Haku himself was no stranger to that.

His estimation of this genin rose several notches, the more he contemplated the similarities. Haku had been tempered in ice, this boy in fire. In this way, they were brothers, and if there was one thing Haku never trusted, it was family.

"I...learned that certain herbs can help with injuries and sicknesses," Haku said, putting in just the right touch of humility. "What are _you _doing? You look tired. Have you been running from something?"

"Me? Run? Nah!" The blond puffed out his chest and grinned, and somehow _didn't _look arrogant for it. "I was training! Lost track of time!" Energy seemed to live in this boy's body like a sentient being. His eyes all but glowed with it. The grin on his face was strangely infectious, and Haku found that keeping the pleasant expression on his own face didn't feel as much like a mask as usual.

This was a dangerous adversary.

"Training?" Haku echoed with an air of absolute cluelessness. He let his eyes stray to the headband marking the blond as a Leaf, and they widened. "Oh, that headband! Then you must be...! Are you a...a _ninja?"_ Haku made sure to say this last word in little more than a whisper, made sure that he was as awestruck and worshipping as possible.

As expected, the blond seemed to grow. Yes, praise worked well on this one. Haku filed the information away for further exploration later. He did not think that pride, per se, was this boy's weakness. Rather, that his self-confidence was directly proportunate to the way others looked at him. When looked on with awe, he would become indestructible, a veritable hero for the ages. When looked on with disdain, Haku thus ascertained, he would become as vulnerable as a statue crafted from deadwood.

"Yeah-huh!" said the boy, bursting with excitement. "I'm gonna get stronger, and _stronger_, until I'm the greatest ninja anybody's ever seen!"

Haku manufactured a giggle. He'd heard that same ambition from Heaven only knew how many other upstarts, and Haku had personally cut more than a few of them down to size before ever coming close to their astronomical goal. The only thing that worried him was that for some inexplicable reason, _this _time, from _this _upstart...it actually sounded attainable.

This was a _very _dangerous adversary.

"You...already seem plenty strong to _me," _Haku said, and it bothered him to hear the sincerity in his own voice. "Surely you must have almost reached your goal already. I'm sure you're an amazing ninja. You must be a hero where you come from."

The boy blinked, clearly surprised, and then averted his gaze in clear embarrassment. It was only a moment, barely more than a flicker, but Haku saw it, and it told him something important: the one thing this boy was most assuredly _not, _in the eyes of his homeland, was a hero. That one flicker told him that, yet again, he had something in common with this genin.

Trash. Discarded, disdained, abandoned.

Yet while Haku had been taken up and remolded by Zabuza-sama, this boy had been taken by the Copy Ninja. The implications were staggering. For the first time since this mission had become what Zabuza-sama thought of as, "interesting," Haku finally understood just what he meant.

This was actually fun.

"Hero...?" the blond echoed. "Nah. Not yet, I'm not. But I _will _be!" The shift was instantaneous, and it nearly made him flinch. From embarrassed to uncertain to unwaveringly confident, all in the space of about three seconds. "You watch!" he told Haku, as if challenging him to say otherwise. "I'll _be _a hero! That's why I'm training. I'm gonna show _everybody _just what I'm made of, and if they think they can ignore me—_ha! _I'll show them!"

Haku put on the awestruck expression again, _amazed _at this idea. He idly wondered how many times this sermon had been delivered. Judging by the blond's excitement, this was perhaps the first time his audience had been so accommodating. But judging by the way the words fell off his tongue, this was _not _the first time he'd _had _an audience.

"You're so...determined..." Haku murmured, with just the right touch of innocent naivete. Let the smile come slowly, so slowly, creeping onto the face as if unsure of whether it wants to be there or not. Hands up, cover the mouth.

Little, girlish giggle.

The boy grinned all the wider, but there was a hint of color to his dirt-streaked cheeks now. Perhaps he wasn't quite as young as he looked, Haku thought. This was far more entertaining than it had any right to be. Haku had put on this precise act an untold number of times, but had never received quite this sort of reaction before.

Did he dare...? Could it be...?

He asked.

"Do you...have someone...that you want to protect?"

Such an odd question. Such a _personal _question. Had he asked it because his basket was nearly full, and he was running out of time? Had he asked it because this boy somehow caused the shields Haku had built around himself to falter?

Or had he asked it simply to find out if this could possibly be someone who understood.

The boy looked confused, and Haku felt more than a little crestfallen. But he couldn't give up just yet. He said, "Someone...special. Not just your homeland, or your neighbors, but..._one _person, that you want to protect. Over everyone else. Someone..."

_Someone you love, _he almost said. _Someone you adore. Someone...you worship._

The boy mulled this over for a while, then his blue eyes widened and his grin came back.

"When you're protecting someone..." Haku murmured, almost to himself, "..._that's _when you truly become strong. When you understand what strength _is. _It gives you...power. And courage. It gives you the will to do _anything."_

The boy's eyes continued to widened, and eventually he was nodding.

"Yeah," he whispered. "Yeah, yeah, I...I get that. I...I _do _have somebody like that. I guess. And...and you're right. Yeah..."

Haku felt his heartbeat rise.

Pure adrenaline was flooding him, and he wondered if he might faint.

This...this was..._radiant._

He suddenly stood, and the blond boy blinked, flinched, and one hand flew to the pouch at his waist. Oh, _yes. _This was perfect. This boy was...was...

He couldn't stay here.

"Then I think you really _will _become a hero," Haku said. "I think...if you really understand that...then everyone will know your name. I...am honored to have met you." He bowed, lifted his basket. "I am finished gathering. I must get back home. Thank you very much for your company. I appreciate it more than I can tell."

The boy hopped to his feet and dusted off his pants. "Sure! No problem! Uh...hope that medicine works...whatever it is."

Haku smiled broadly. "Thank you."

He turned away. As he began to walk, his mind slowly began to clear. His breath came more easily, and he was able to calm himself. He stopped, about ten steps dividing him and the blond shinobi. He did not turn his head, but he called out, in his normal speaking voice, "By the way...I'm a boy."

He smirked as he continued to walk, knowing without looking that the blond was now staring, slack-jawed, at his retreating back. Haku almost didn't notice that someone was close to him until the red-haired boy—one of the blond's companions—was nearly upon him.

This boy's eyes were ringed with dark, blotchy skin. They instantly locked onto Haku's own, aquamarine searing into dark, dark brown, and Haku found himself chilled. Not a comfortable, icy cold like he was used to feeling. No, this was the biting, clawing, eroding cold of a desert wind at midnight.

Dry. Merciless.

Howling.

"Gaara!" called the blond boy with such obvious familiar happiness that Haku actually flinched.

The red-haired boy turned to face his friend, and his face transformed. The smile that met his thin lips was genuine. There was no mask here. Not like Haku's smiles. There was a duality about _this_ one, too. A frightening one.

"This place is dangerous," said Gaara, low and deep, not at all befitting his still-boyish face. "I don't pretend to know the game you're playing in that outfit...but it won't serve you here." Those light green eyes bore into Haku's very essence again, and he heard the wind in his ears again. "Something you will learn about the downtrodden, the desolate, the defeated. They won't care about your gender. To them...you'll be nothing but fresh meat."

Haku put on a clueless smile.

"Are you worried for my...purity? That's very nice of you. Chivalrous. But please, don't."

Gaara's eyes narrowed suspiciously.

Haku's smile remained.

"I'm no purer than you are."

* * *

As Naruto—freshly cleaned—stepped out into the front room of Tsunami's home, still with a towel covering half of his head, he couldn't help but think that his commander looked like nothing so much as a judge presiding over an execution.

"You all are as prepared as you're going to be, in these circumstances," Kakashi said as his three students lined up in front of him. Naruto stole a glance over at the doorway leading into the dining room and saw Tsunami standing there. Inari stood behind her, watching the four ninja intently (though still with a sullen look on his face).

"Should this be taken to mean that we are going on the offensive?" Gaara asked.

"Playing defense never wins a war," Kakashi replied. "If we're going to complete this mission, then we can't sit around waiting for Gatou to make the first move. We force his hand, and force him to fight on our terms. _That _will give us the best chance at victory."

Inari sniffed derisively, but nobody made any reaction to it.

Naruto cracked his knuckles. "Then let's do this!"

Hinata squared her shoulders and stood up straight. She did not avert her eyes when Kakashi looked at her. Gaara drew in a deep breath and flexed his fingers.

The silver-haired jounin nodded.

"Move out."

"Since you are reapplying the gauze to your face, I assume you are satisfied with your body's performance?"

Zabuza didn't respond to his upstart protégé's words. He went through the practiced motions of covering his face, and his nerves sang as the familiar cloth wrapped over his skin. He moved slowly, methodically, almost as if in a trance. He did not need to look at Haku to know that the young missing-nin had discarded his ridiculous kimono. He was dressed for war.

When Zabuza finally finished, and _did _turn to look at the boy, he was surprised to see the excitement burning in the thirteen-year-old assassin's eyes. Haku's smile was genuine this time, not just a façade meant to intimidate. He wondered if he had _ever _seen Haku looking like this while preparing for battle. He couldn't remember it.

He was positive that he _would _have.

It was almost frightening.

Zabuza's eyes narrowed suspiciously. _"You _look excited."

Haku gave one of his girly little laughs and shrugged his thin, delicate shoulders. "I suppose I am," he said lightly. There was no lie in his voice. He was being perfectly honest. He said, "I met two of...ahem...my opponents this morning. Let's just say that I'm...looking forward to meeting them again."

Zabuza was silent for a long moment.

Then, suspicion gave way to amusement. He finally understood what Haku looked like right now.

He looked like a little boy about to visit his first festival.

Zabuza laughed. "Is that right? Well, that's good. There's hope for you yet, boy."

"I most assuredly hope so." Haku bowed his head, and donned his mask.

Zabuza reached out and clutched the handle of his gargantuan sword, hefting it easily and resting it against his shoulder. All traces of positive emotion was wiped from his face as the Demon of the Mist put on _his _mask.

"Well, then...let's get started."

* * *

**_The final fight of the arc is up next, folks. Haku finally gets to show us all what he's made of._**

**_...Not that way, perverts. Sheesh._**

**_Anyway, this is probably the penultimate chapter for the Zabuza arc. Which, of course, means that the Chuunin Exams are up next. This, I think, is where the diversion I've set in motion will really start to show its true colors. Plus, being as how it was my favorite arc in the original story, I have a sneaking suspicion that it will be my favorite arc to write. And, if I do my job correctly, it should be your favorite to read. Or, so I hope._**

**_'Til next time._**


	29. 2, 18: I Need a Hero

_**The vast majority of 2010 was a dark place for me. From March onward, I went through what I'm pretty sure could be considered a quarter-life crisis, unsure of who I was and what I was doing, and whether or not any decisions I had made over the course of my two decades of life were the right ones.**_

_** It took me a long time to reconcile the fact that mine was not a unique case, that I was doing not only myself a disservice for doubting myself and my choices, but those around me, and those who know me. You, who have read my work on this site for so many years, who have remained faithful in spite of my sporadic update schedules, have every right to feel insulted. I forgot you. I forgot me. I forgot why I started this project—and every other project I've ever had—in the first place.**_

_** Those of you who follow my other stories will have heard parts of this story before; I beg you forgive my repetition. Know, however, that while 2010 was mostly the precise opposite of a positive experience, it's taught me a lot about myself, about why I make the decisions that I make, and what that means for me, and those connected to me.**_

_** In the spirit of that, I have refused to allow myself the luxury of only updating this story and any others once, or twice a year. I'm better than that, and you deserve better than that. Hence, I will begin to do what I should have done in the beginning.**_

_** I will be updating this story once a week, henceforth. The chapters will be shorter than those which came before them, but with the shift in frequency, I hope that that may be forgiven. The first half of the major Haku/Zabuza fight is contained here, and the second half will be completed and posted next Saturday. You have my word on that.**_

_** Furthermore, I have begun a blog, "In Cold Blood," which will contain every update to any project online that bears my name; whether it be this story, original fiction, nonfiction articles, or artwork. Those of you interested in the rest of my work, I would greatly appreciate it if you looked it over, and gave me your feedback. ICB can be found at www(dot)icedblood1986(dot)blogspot(dot)com. It is also the homepage linked to my profile. Take a look, and hang out for a while.**_

_** With that said, enjoy the chapter. I'll see you all next week.**_

* * *

"I don't know how long he spent training yesterday, but considering how soundly he's sleeping now, I think it's a safe bet that he wore his body out to its limit."

Kakashi looked at Gaara with a noncommittal expression on his face. "I see," he said. "Well, we'll let him sleep for now." He flexed the fingers of his right hand. "We'll manage for the day. Hinata."

"Yes, sir?"

"At the slightest hint of mist, use your eyes. We can't afford to be caught blind. You are our eyes. We're counting on you to be the first warning; awareness is the foremost form of defense." Kakashi's own eye narrowed. "Understand?"

Hinata's face was resolute. "Yes, sir."

The jounin nodded. "Good. Gaara, you will be our second line of defense. I know your sand is heavier in this environment, but this is exactly why we've insisted on training your body just as much as your gifts."

Gaara nodded.

Tsunami watched the three ninja with apprehension bordering on hope, and near to the teetering point. This was what she had been waiting for, what her home had been waiting for, and it seemed to finally feel real for her. She smiled.

They could all hear Naruto's snoring from the back of the house. It was a wonder that he didn't wake himself. Even in his sleep, he defied any and all preconceived and accepted notions of what it meant to be a ninja, and the frightening part of it all was, it was working. He'd had a rocky start, to be sure, and hadn't they all? He hadn't died yet, no one had died around him, and that was the only real way to gauge the effectiveness of his approach.

Truth be told, the longer he spent with the explosive future Hokage (it was still laughable right now, but the laugh was becoming less forceful and more forced by the day), the more Kakashi thought they needed more ninja like him. Tradition was all well and good, but there was a fine line between tradition and inflexibility.

Naruto laughed at tradition, and he spat on inflexibility.

And that was one of the reasons Kakashi had agreed to take him on in the first place, although he wasn't sure he'd realized it at the beginning. Whether he had or not, though, he knew it to be true now.

The other two looked sufficiently rested. Well, Hinata did; Gaara looked just as rested as he always did—which was to say, he didn't. Kakashi gave a signal, and they vanished. They knew where they were going. Kakashi glanced over at Tsunami who, by the look on her face, hadn't quite yet gotten used to the idea that children could move as quickly as these children could. He said, "Naruto won't listen if you tell him I ordered him to rest for the day. Try to see if you can't put him to work. So long as he feels productive, he should be fine."

Tsunami nodded, her smile widening. "Got it." She seemed pleased.

Kakashi nodded back.

* * *

"This is where it happens," Zabuza murmured under his breath, barely audible for the bandages. "Everything comes to this. From the look of it, seems like there'll be a fight for you, too, Haku. You'd better be prepared."

Haku smiled pleasantly. "I'm always prepared, Zabuza-sama."

The demon sighed, but said nothing this time. He turned his eyes to the bridge, the last bastion of hope this godforsaken water-hole would ever have. Zabuza had no qualms about destroying the hopes of the common folk; he was here to do a job, and morals didn't come into it. Still, a part of him turned his nose at just how petty his employer was this time. Gatou was a confusing man; he had all the arrogance of a god, yet Zabuza could think of a multitude of ninja—ninja he, himself, had sent to their graves—who could have overthrown the fat little troll with one arm. He had followers, that much was true, but most of them were worth about as much as the dust they kicked up when they "set to work."

Zabuza considered the implications of taking on Gatou himself, once this job was over.

It stood to reason that a man as paranoid as Gatou kept his best men as personal guards. Zouri and Wajari hadn't been around Haku for all of five seconds before wetting themselves. In light of that, he didn't think it would be all that difficult to claim Gatou's empire for himself, given proper planning.

It was true he didn't have much of a head for business in the strictest sense, but he didn't much care if the _business _withered and died. Gatou irritated him, and that was enough reason to ruin everything with his name on it.

"You look excited, Zabuza-sama."

_Why?_

It was the logical question, and Zabuza heard it in the boy's voice even though he hadn't specifically asked it. But he didn't speak. They still had a job to do, still had an enemy to worry about, and he wasn't much interested in adding a thousand others into the mix.

Yet.

"Separate them," Zabuza said. "They'll rely on the girl. Keep her attention. Isolate her."

Haku's dark eyes twinkled with amusement. "Of course, Zabuza-sama."

Before, when he'd been younger, it had been necessary to give Haku instructions. It never took him long to grasp a concept; even at a handful of years old, he'd been quicker on the mental draw than most people. Still, he had needed direction at first. He'd known how to use his gift, to some degree or another, all his life. But how to harness it, how to bring it to fruition…how to make it a weapon…that had taken time. Instruction.

That was no longer necessary.

Momochi Zabuza was a resourceful man. He was as observant as he needed to be; he preferred the exhilaration of the unknown, and took it when he could afford to take it. In the case of Haku, he saw just enough in the young exile's eyes to know that words were no longer necessary. He knew everything. He knew what Zabuza would tell him before he said a word, rendering the instruction useless.

The demon gave the slightest of gestures.

They both vanished.

* * *

They walked in a triangle. Tazuna was flanked by Gaara and Hinata; Kakashi took up the lead.

The mist gathered almost immediately, before they'd even set foot on the bridge. "You are our defense," Kakashi whispered as he stepped into blindness. "Gaara. Your sand will shield our charge and our eyes. Focus on that. That is your job. That is your _life. _Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir."

"What about Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked.

"He won't like it," Kakashi said, "but if we can end this while he remains with Tsunami and Inari, we should count ourselves lucky. We all risk our lives. He'll have plenty of chances to do it with us on other missions."

"…And if _we_ should die here?" Gaara asked.

"Then he will live. And he will avenge us. And he will return home."

There was no point in asking what happened if Naruto died, as well. There was no point in discussing total failure. There was nothing past that, nothing that mattered and nothing that bore discussion. They all knew this, and so the question didn't even come up. They continued along onto the bridge, and some part of the entire situation was darkly comedic.

This was a land of mist. A world of it. Fog wasn't an omen here so much as it was a neighbor. None of them were sure if Momochi Zabuza was dead or not, in fact they had more reason to believe he was dead than they did he was alive, and yet they continued to move as though stepping onto a minefield.

It seemed as though, since Kakashi had mentioned the possibility, they'd all accepted it as cold, hard truth. And maybe it was better that way. Safer. Smarter.

…More interesting.

* * *

Uzumaki Naruto was a deep sleeper

Usually this had to do with the fact that he liked to run himself into exhaustion before finally passing out wherever he happened to collapse.

But he was also a quick riser.

He woke that morning to find himself alone in a room that was entirely too large, and he all but leaped out of it and jettisoned down the hallway until he ran into Tsunami.

"Where'd everybody go?" he demanded, pushing up his sleeping cap as it fell over his eyes.

Tsunami smiled. "Your commander said it would be better if you stationed yourself here for today. Take it easy for a while."

"They _ditched _me?"

The woman's smile widened. "We need someone here to keep an eye on things," she said lightly. "The others are helping my father and his workers. Could you maybe stand guard here for me and Inari? Please?"

Naruto blinked. "Stand guard," he repeated, looking like he'd never considered the idea before. "…O-Okay. Sure." He puffed out his chest. "Yeah," he said, suddenly finding a grin. "Stand guard. I can do that. You bet."

"Thank you," Tsunami said. "It's been a long time since any of us has felt safe around here."

Naruto nodded again, winking. "No worries. I'm on it!" Any thoughts of his team leaving him out, or his own having gotten up late, left him entirely. None of that mattered anymore because he had a job to do.

And he intended to kick the holy _hell _out of it.

He began to patrol the house with a look on his face that was half-smirk, half-grimace; as if he were forcing himself to be satisfied with his assignment. But the strange part about Uzumaki Naruto—not that he knew this himself; he wasn't much for self-analysis—was that that was all it generally took for him to _be _satisfied with an assignment.

It didn't take him long before he was starting to show off. Kicking off walls, jumping up and trying to touch the ceiling with his foot. There wasn't anyone in particular he was showing off _for, _except himself. If he'd been thinking about it at all, he might have said that he was doing it for no other reason than to prove that he could. So engrossed in his impromptu training was he that he didn't notice Inari watching him from his bedroom doorway.

As Naruto approached the boy's room, he shot back inside at the last moment. If Naruto had been a typical ninja, he would have noticed. As he _wasn't _typical by any stretch of the definition, however, he didn't. He simply poked his head in later, looked around, and saw Inari standing off to the side. For a long moment, they looked at each other silently, neither bothering to say anything.

Eventually, Inari asked, "…Where are the rest?"

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Protectin' yer grandpa."

Something resembling a smirk visited the boy's face, and Naruto wasn't sure he liked it very much. "…They ditched you," he said softly. Normally, Naruto would have scoffed, or tossed out a caustic retort, but there was something unnerving about the level of satisfaction on the kid's face, and it had the blond off-guard.

He said, "They asked me to stay here 'n look after you 'n your mom. They didn't ditch me. And why do you care, either way? You don't seem all that convinced we're good for a damn thing, anyway."

"You're not," the boy muttered. "There's no point, you being here. Grandpa wasted his time."

"Well, lemme ask ya this," Naruto said, crossing his arms, "let's say you're right, and there's no point'n us being here. Right? So…what's the problem? No skin off your teeth, right? Just…don't mind us. Let us do our job, we'll get outta here, and you can go back to being mopey."

"You're not getting out of here."

Naruto smirked. "What's the point of thinkin' _that _way?"

"What's the point in thinking a different way?"

Naruto uncrossed his arms and stuffed them into the pockets of his pants. "Keeping your sanity." Inari stared at him. "What's the point of going through life miserable? What's the point of crying your way through the day? Who wants that? Who deserves that? I don't have time to think I'm gonna lose. I'm too busy thinkin' about how awesome it's gonna be when I win."

The expression on Inari's face would have been more at home on an owl. "…What…are you talking about…? You _can't _win! Gatou's going to kill you! All of you! There's no point in fighting! You're just going to lose!"

"You keep talking. All I hear is blah-blah-stupid-crap-blah-blah…you might wanna work on that."

Naruto recognized the look on the boy's face. It was the look of someone who had no damn clue what he was talking about; Naruto was used to that sort of expression, honestly. He got it most often from Hinata's kid sister, actually, and he wondered in the back of his mind if it was just something they'd understand when they got older.

Then again, a lot of older people gave him that look, too; alongside a heaping helping of condescension, like _he _didn't have a damn clue what he was talking about, either. So maybe Inari and Hanabi were just…similar. They both did have a certain quiet anger about them.

Though Naruto was certain that Hyuuga Hanabi had ten times the steel in her spine that Inari did. Naruto'd seen Inari crying openly a few times; he'd never seen so much as a tear fall from Hanabi's grey eyes. Thinking about it, though, those eyes _had _gone a bit misty on the day of her big sister's graduation.

"Listen, kid—" Naruto began.

"Don't call me kid! _You're _a kid, too!" Inari shouted, almost shrieked.

"No," Naruto said, strangely somber. "I'm not. I'm a ninja." He tapped the metal plate on his forehead. "Day this was put on me, I gave up being a kid. I can't use that anymore. I can't give up anymore. I can't sit around and let other people, older people, take care of things for me anymore. _You _can, yeah. You still can. But you know what? I never had a mom. But fi I did, I'd want her to be like yours." Inari's eyes widened a bit, then narrowed suspiciously. Naruto went on: "I wouldn't want her having to take on anything else on top o' what she's already got. You lost your dad, and no one's faulting you for bein' sad, and angry, and lost. Anybody'd feel that way. But that includes your mom. She lost 'im, too. It ain't all about you, y'know. She's gotta deal with all the loss, all the guilt, the betrayal, whatever other crap _you _got churning around inside you right now, _and _she's gotta look after you. 'Cuz that's what moms and dads do. 'F I were you, I'd wanna make that part easy. I'd wanna be there for _her. _Not the other way around. She's been the strong one all this time. Don'tcha think it's time _you _stepped up?"

He hadn't intended to give a sermon. He'd thought all he was going to do was check on the kid and keep on his patrol. But this defeated, misanthropic—he'd learned _that _one from Shikamaru—"feel bad for me 'cuz we're all doomed," attitude was starting to grate on his nerves. Especially whenever he looked at Tsunami's lined, pretty face; and the heartbroken guilt he could see carving _new _lines into that face whenever she saw her son sulking. That wasn't right. It just…wasn't.

Inari was crying again, and Naruto had to fight down an urge to slap him. "I…I…_can't! _I'm not strong, not like Dad! Not like Grandpa! I'm...weak!"

"So?"

Inari blinked, stared. "Wha…what?"

"So what?" Naruto asked, scowling. "Who cares? That don't matter for crap. People called _me _weak. _I _called me weak. What you do is you take that weakness, you look it right in the eye and you say, 'Screw that, and screw _you. _I'm protectin' my mom.' And you do it. And if you get beat down, you get back up. If you bleed, you rub some dirt on it and you get back up. You break your leg, you grit your teeth and you get back up, and you _soak in _that pain. And when it's all over, Mama'll be there to make it better. And when you're sittin' there, and you feel her kiss your forehead and mess up your hair, you'll know: you protected her. _You _did that. 'Cuz that's what men do. Babies cry. Kids let their parents do the work. Men step up. Men protect. That's just how it works."

"But what if…what if I…die?"

Naruto's scowl turned into a haunted, distant frown. "Then you make damn sure she's alive to grieve for you. Alive and angry, alive and sad, alive and lonely and cold and hurting and guilty…is still a helluva lot better than _dead."_

The boy was scared.

Of course he was. Naruto had had it drilled into his head from just about day one that he'd more as like end up dead in the service of his village, younger more likely than older, and he'd grown up with that. He'd come to grips with it.

Inari hadn't.

And he _shouldn't _have. That was part of the job: giving up the rest of his childhood so that kids like Inari could stay…kids. And really, there wasn't any reason to be expecting this from Inari in the first place. Tsunami was a good mom, and Tazuna was a good grandpa. They did their jobs. They kept Inari safe so that he could grow up halfway normal.

Naruto had asked for this. Inari hadn't.

But all the same…

"I know it sucks," Naruto said. "Yeah. We could die. World like this, that's always an option. But that don't mean we hafta lay down and wait for it. If I'm gonna die here, on this mission, then I'm gonna die doing my job. I'm gonna go up to Heaven, and I'm gonna find your dad. And I'm gonna tell him I did my damnedest to protect his girl, and his boy, and then I'm gonna find _my _dad and _my _mom, and I'm gonna look them in the eye. I'm gonna say to them, 'See that? I did that. I lived for something. I died for something. Just like you did.'"

And Naruto found a grin.

Like always.

"I'm…I'm scared."

"Of course you are. Me, too. I don't wanna die. But that's part of it. That's always a part of it. You have to take that fear, mold it, sharpen it up, and use it like a weapon. Don't let it take you down. Use it to pull yourself up. And say, 'Fuck yeah. See? I did that. _I _did that. I'm the _king. _Eat that.'"

Inari still didn't look convinced.

Naruto shrugged, winked, and started walking. "You stew on that," he said, feeling like he'd just given a lecture, and he wondered if this was how Iruka felt after class was over. "I'm back on patrol. You wanna take what I said to heart, 'n step up to the plate, you let me know." He turned back to the boy and winked. "Nobody said strong meant alone."

* * *

They didn't speak. They simply appeared; one tall and broad, one short and lean.

Hinata remembered a lesson in Iruka's class on the original shinobi, the first clan of ninja in the modern sense of the word. Their abilities had been almost entirely devoted to the art of stealth. Genjutsu, the art of illusion, had once been paramount to all ninja, and combat jutsu would have been as foreign to them as the tactics of samurai. The shadows of death, laymen had called them. Swift and silent as the Reaper's breath. Any and all identifying marks had been swathed in blackest cloth and armor; they had attacked at night, and no records of their appearance had survived; no one with the knowledge _to _record their appearance had survived.

Hinata thought that if they had looked like anyone…they had looked like the pair in front of them.

They weren't dressed all in black, and the big one was far more revealed than the original shinobi—with his chest bare and his matted, tangled hair covering his head instead of a cowl or hood—but all the same there was…nothing.

They could see half of Zabuza's face, but in spite of that it felt like they could tell more about the personality of the demon's companion, whose face was covered by a painted, expressionless mask.

"And so the truth reveals itself," Kakashi said in a soft voice. "I would pretend to be surprised, but I find I'm a bit tired today. Crick in my neck. Sore joints. You know how it is." He tapped his headband, where his left eye lay beneath it. "More a curse than a gift sometimes. Draining."

No trace of emotion crossed Zabuza's face. He didn't speak.

He vanished.

It appeared behind Tazuna, staring straight at Hinata. She didn't gasp, didn't cry, but made a slight gesture before sending the heel of her left hand straight into the exile's bare, well-muscled chest. Zabuza didn't feel human. There was no real substance pressing back against her hand; the flesh felt like some sort of gelatin. No bone gave honest resistance.

As she sent two fingers of her free hand straight into the thing's neck, a wall of sand engulfed it, crashed into the ground, and went dark as the water clone exploded.

She made the gesture again as another Zabuza shot out of the mist heading straight for Kakashi. The silver-haired veteran raised a knife almost lazily, slashed out the creature's cloth-covered throat. Water splashed across the Copy Ninja's body like clear, cold blood.

Hinata straightened her right hand and sent it barreling through the third clone's chest like a spearhead.

They continued to come, one after another, in what felt like an endless gauntlet, each coming from a different direction, each trying a new tactic, but each of them fell. None of them could hide from a Hyuuga's eyes.

Hinata turned her head to face the _real _Zabuza, hidden by the others from the mist. She screwed up her courage to speak. "You're playing with us," she said. It crossed her mind that this ninja could have slaughtered her in a heartbeat if he'd decided he wanted to do it. He had experience; real-world, brutal, savage experience. She might be dead already, and she just didn't know it yet. Her mind hadn't caught up with what her body already knew.

"The mind is a target, just as much as the body," said the demon's protégé, still standing idly in front of them, as casual as any civilian waiting in line for bread from a local bakery. "The heart, as well. The heart is Gatou's favorite target. My master's is the mind."

Gaara stared at the boy. "And yours?"

Hinata could see the boy through the mask, saw the muscles that pulled his lips into the slightest of smiles. "Whichever proves most efficient." Her heart beat. "For example…" came the boy's voice—silky, innocent, almost effeminate—from just behind her ear, and she stiffened when she realized he wasn't standing in front of them anymore. She hadn't seen him move. He _hadn't _moved. She _would have_ seen it.

And yet…

"…The eyes."

She felt a sudden sharp sting, slight but cutting, tiny but burning, and all the world went black.

* * *

He heard them approach when he was checking the pitiful backyard of the house, which might have once been a garden. He spied the skeletons of what could have been flowers or vegetables. Naruto wasn't exactly a horticulturist—and wouldn't have recognized the word, anyway—and all he really knew was that it was kind of pathetic. Pitiful. Sad, and infuriating.

When he heard them, his first thought was that his team had come back for him. Maybe they'd needed his help, after all. It wasn't really much of a surprise; he _was _a hero, after all. He decided that he'd let them off easy. This time.

Then he heard the explosion.

Without thinking, Naruto vaulted up onto a back windowsill, scrambled up the top of the window with his other foot, and did a species of chin-up to pull himself up onto the roof. Sneaking/stumbling across the flat-toped wood thatching, feeling like the star of his own action movie, he was wondering what the hell could have made the sound when he heard voices.

"…Just need one little hostage, y'know. Nothin' personal. Well…guess it is, since you're the old bone-sacks' daughter. Sorry 'bout that. Tough luck, huh?"

"You could go easy, 'f ya want," said another, deeper voice. "'S no skin off our teeth."

"If you go hard…well, we'll cutcha. Can't kill ya, not in our orders. Boss wants you alive, so's you can—" He stopped.

"W…What are you doing to my mom?" Inari shouted. He sounded terrified. Terrified but…resolute. Naruto found a smile. _Good man, _he thought.

The first one, who had a scratchy kind of voice—almost squeaky—said, "Get on outta here, kid. Got no use f' you. We got our hostage."

"Oi, Zouri," said the deeper voice. "Should we, ah…handle the witness? Can't have anybody warning the old man. Right?"

"…Yeah. Get rid of him. Sorry, kid. Change of plans."

_"No!" _Tsunami shrieked. "Don't you touch him! If you lay one hand on him, I'll bite off my tongue! I'll choke, and I'll die, right here! I swear it!"

"M-Mom!"

"Inari, _go! _Get out of here! Please, baby, _run!"_

"But…b-but…!"

"Thank yer mom, kid…and beat it," Zouri spat.

"Quick. Before we change our minds."

There was a beat of silence, broken only by Tsunami's terrified, breathless sobs: "Please…my baby…my baby boy…run…"

And then…

"…No." Inari's voice was firm. Strong. Still scared, but still resolute. "No. I'm sorry, Mom. But…I'm not running. I'm…I'm going to protect you. I'm going to…to be a hero. Like Dad. Like Grandpa. Like…like you." The boy drew a deep breath. "Get. Away. From my mother."

Naruto heard them move. He couldn't hear _much, _couldn't tell _exactly _what they were doing, but he knew they weren't going to bother listening to any more pleading or monologuing. The time to act—the time for the hero to make his Grand Entrance—had come.

Naruto grinned.

He shot across the roof, slid down onto his knees and grabbed the edge, throwing himself out and swinging around through another window. What most didn't know about Uzumaki Naruto was that he _could, _in fact, be as swift and silent as any master shinobi, when the need—and the inclination—truly arose.

Zouri and Waraji definitely _looked _like the sort of men who would kidnap women and threaten children. They were dressed in ragged civilians' clothing; Zouri in a baggy sweatshirt and ragged pants, Waraji shirtless with what looked like prison tattoos covering his upper body. The blades they carried were immaculately crafted—the work of a master—but even Naruto, who knew as much about swordsmanship as he did about flying, could tell that these two didn't know what they were doing with them. It was an insult to the weapons themselves, and the fact that they were probably too dense to realize or care about that just made him realize all the more that Gatou, whoever the hell he was, was a hopeless, disgusting little insect.

Naruto didn't often think about things like that, but...

They didn't seem to know what to do with him. He looked at them, winked, and clicked his tongue. "Hey-hey, there, boys," he said in a peppy, happy little voice, like he was greeting long-lost friends at the market. "Ain't that nice? You brought new knives. That's cool, y'know, 'cuz we were tryin' to use Tazuna's old knives to chop up vegetables for dinner, and…" he tsked, "gotta tell ya, _not _the best tool for the job. Figure you could help us out? Tsunami makes a _killer _beef stew."

That momentary lapse in concentration was all the opening Naruto needed.

He was moving, zigging this way, zagging that, and just as Zouri slammed his blade down, slicing a huge gash in the floor right where Naruto _had _been standing, he blond genin hopped up, kicked the would-be samurai's shoulder for leverage, and sent himself barreling straight into Waraji, who didn't even have time to bring his own weapon up to block.

Naruto popped back onto his feet and sent a whirling kick straight into Zouri's middle. Beautiful, meticulous steel clattered to the floor. Naruto didn't even bother to check, dropping down just as Waraji's blade made to slice through his neck, and slammed a stiff leg right into the thug's ankles, sending him right back to the ground again.

He heard Inari scrambling for something, sprang backward and landed in a handstand, pushing off the floor and soaring right over Zouri's head. He kicked the back of that head, greasy and grey and thick with stupid, and Zouri went sprawling.

The boy who planned to be the next savior of the Hidden Leaf spun, leaned down, and scooped up his enemy's discarded sword. When he was back on his feet, thinking wildly back to Iruka's lessons and cursing the fact that he'd never bothered to pay attention when it came to swordsmanship, he saw that Inari had had the same idea. He'd picked up Waraji's sword and was gripping it in both hands, gritting his teeth and doing his level best to ignore how heavy it clearly was.

He shot between the two of them, and stood stolid in front of Tsunami, who was staring openly. Inari drew in a deep breath and said, loud and authoritative, "This is _our_ home! This is _our_ land! Our water! Run back to your boss and tell him we're taking it back!"

Uzumaki Naruto felt a swell of pride not unlike a father's, and nodded. He stepped forward, Zouri's weapon in one hand, and held it up, lifting its owner's chin with the tip. "You heard the man," the blond all but purred. "Get outta here. Can't kill ya. Not in our orders."

He winked, and pressed the blade against the bare flesh of Zouri's neck, drawing a bead of blood. "I'd suggest ya get out quick. We got no better clue how to use these things 'n you do. We can't stop at injury."

And there it was.

Fear.

Zouri scratched and clawed his way to his feet, and tore out of the house. Waraji, though, clearly the more daring (or loyal, or stupid) of the two, stood up slowly. He spied Tsunami, staring openly at him, and made a move for her, thinking perhaps that if he got hold of her, he could force Inari to drop his sword.

Naruto thought he was probably right.

But Inari screamed, and sent the blade in a downward arc that nearly took the man's left arm right off at the shoulder. Waraji swore as he pushed himself backward, landing flat on his back. "Little bastard!" he snarled.

Naruto sighed, shook his head, and tossed his own sword aside.

"This is stupid," he muttered. "I got no damn clue how to use a frickin' _sword." _He turned his eyes on the remaining samurai, all traces of mirth gone from his face. "I'm fast runnin' low on patience with you people. Your buddy's a coward, but at least he was smart enough to take a hint. 'Parently you're not that smart. I'll have to beat it into you."

He held up his hands in a very familiar sign.

_"Kage bunshin no jutsu!"_

* * *

Kakashi didn't know exactly what Haku had done to Hinata, but he didn't have to know specifics. "Protect her!" he hissed at Gaara, and went on the offensive. He remembered that, before apparently losing her sight, Hinata had been staring in a very particular direction when she'd said, "You're playing with us."

He didn't know if Zabuza was arrogant enough not to have moved, but he figured that it was a good enough place to start. He watched as the younger exile turned his attention to Gaara, saw out of the corner of his eye as the red-haired genin sent a shield of sand in front of Hinata, and Tazuna rushed over as it formed a small dome. Both of them disappeared.

"Now, now," said the ex-ANBU boy, and Kakashi heard a smirk in that voice, "that's not quite fair, leaving her out of the fight. Her esteem is low enough as it is, don't you think?"

He knew that Naruto would have snarled at the older boy to shut the hell up, but Gaara said nothing. Kakashi could still tell that he'd hit a nerve.

And then he had to leave his students to their own devices, as Zabuza reappeared. This time, as Kakashi shot out an arm, ended in cold, razor-sharpened steel, he could tell that _this _Zabuza was the genuine article. The exiled jounin's huge sword appeared in wide, sweeping slices with far more speed than should have been possible.

Kakashi knew less about Momochi Zabuza than he did about other A-list criminals, but he knew enough to understand that the man's most dangerous talent wasn't stealth or assassination; such skills were second-nature to nearly every graduate of the Mist. No. Zabuza's true infamy came from just how easily he used his giants' blade.

He'd heard any number of names for the beast of a weapon that Zabuza carried: Necksplitter, The Bleeder, the Talon of God or, most simply, Crush. He had no idea what Zabuza called his chosen sword, but he knew one thing most clearly: having faced it twice now, he understood its grisly, frightening reputation.

Somewhere in the darker recesses of his mind, Hatake Kakashi sighed.

The time for battle had passed. This was war.

They had no need for words anymore. Anything they might have said to each other would be said through muscle, bone, and blood. They were no longer shinobi, no longer people. They were no longer souls and minds and spirit.

They were war. They were what they were meant to be, what they had been built to be. And in that, they were closer and more intimate than the most devoted of lovers. They danced, and in dancing they were one.

_I know you, Momochi Zabuza. I know you, Demon of the Mist._

It began.

* * *

"Wait! Naruto! Where are you going?"

The blond turned, hands in the pockets of his pants, and raised an eyebrow. "Hero's job, never done. Ain't you heard?" He grinned. Inari was watching him, eyes wide and wet and cracking. Naruto pointed. "Look, Inari," he said, softly. "Look back there."

Inari looked.

Tsunami was sobbing openly, and it was clear that she was horrified. The house was in shambles, her dress tattered and dirty. Her hair was tangled and there was a gash on her forehead that leaked blood across one side of her face. But there was something in those eyes that hadn't been there before. Something so clear and shining, so blazing, that even Naruto—who wasn't much for "reading" people—could see it.

Pride.

"Inari..." Tsunami murmured breathlessly.

Inari finally dropped Waraji's sword. "M-Mommy."

Naruto chuckled. "You did that, Inari. _You. _Don't you ever forget today. Don't ever forget that you protected your mother. You stood up, and you picked up a weapon you've never used before, and you protected her. Just like your grandpa. Just like your dad. So don't you ever think that there aren't any heroes in this village, Inari, because _you're _a hero. Stand proud."

Inari turned to face him again, and the tears were falling freely now. "N...Naruto..."

"Now...you don't mind, I'm gonna go find my team. Can't have you hogging all the glory to yourself, now, can I?" He winked. "Now go hug your mom, you dope. You earned it, and so did she."

And he was gone.

* * *

_**It's been a number of years since I began reading and watching Naruto. I admit that most recently, I have not been keeping up-to-date with the series as a whole. I cannot rightly determine why I lost much of my interest in Naruto's journeys, but I think I've hit a breakthrough with this chapter in particular.**_

_** I don't know if it comes through, but I do feel that I've finally begun to actually understand Uzumaki Naruto's personality. I think it's made my interpretation of the character better, more fluid, and more natural. What do you think? Let me know.**_

_** See you next time. **_


	30. 2, 19: A Dance with Demons

**_A combination of things caused this chapter to be updated so late, considering my assurance that it would be up two weeks ago. One, a group project worth two exams is due tomorrow in my psychology class, and I had to make sure I had my part finished. Two, an exam was up recently that forced me to study. I say forced because my grade _****really _needed the points afforded by a solid score._**

**_Fight scenes are the bane of my existence. They're difficult for a number of reasons, the most prominent of which being that I couldn't fight to save my life. One might wonder why I chose so many years ago to write stories for a series so fundamentally entrenched in combat. That's how things go, I guess._**

**_That said, the fight between Zabuza, Haku, and the revamped Team Seven isn't quite finished. This chapter encompasses roughly the first half. Sorry for the delay, but now that the project's done and the class is almost over, my time will be more open to such pursuits as writing. I'll still be busy, but my free time will be devoted to what _****I _want to do._**

**_Thanks for the support, you guys. It always helps._**

******_Enjoy._**

* * *

Don't panic.

Do not panic. Do. _Not. _Panic. Focus. The eyes were gone, but the other senses were fine. The other senses were heightened. Hyuuga Hinata thought for a moment that this was how most shinobi fought mist-nin. Deprived of visibility, they were forced to rely on training, on observation and preparedness, but most of all on calm. Cool, smooth, fluid calm.

She refused to let this criminal get the better of her. She would prove her father wrong. She would prove her elders wrong. She would…she would rise to the potential that her teammates saw in her. She would become the ninja her sister expected her to be. She would…win.

She _would._

Holding up her hands in a stance more familiar than her own name, more ingrained in her memory than anything else she'd ever experienced, the heiress of the Hyuuga clan reached out with her other senses, waited, waited. Prepared. She would be prepared. She would be ready, and she would be deadly. She would be a snake coiled in the grass. She would be a lioness poised to strike. She would be a ninja.

There.

She felt it, felt _him, _as he moved to strike. Tentative, exploratory, she could tell by the pressure in the air that he wasn't making for a kill. He was testing her. Playing with her, just like his master. Well, fine. That was just fine. Quicker than she had any right to be, she twisted just as he crashed through Gaara's sand—she wondered why her brother's perfect defense hadn't held up against such a simple strike—gripped his fist with one clawed hand, clamped onto his wrist with the other, and wrenched him through the broken barrier. Before his body had the chance to react, before his muscles could even think to fight the forward momentum, she'd launched the hand holding his up against his throat, curling like a noose.

Hinata thought of Naruto, and dared to speak as he would have: "You didn't think it would be that easy, would it?" and twirled, throwing him onto the stone floor of the bridge. The boy's breath came out of him in a choking rasp. She shot her arm straight down, aiming straight for the heart.

His flesh gave way like gelatin.

The ANBU assassin exploded in a flood of water.

She heard a chuckle from somewhere behind her. "I did," said the boy. "Thank you, so much, for proving me wrong." And the strange part of it was…she heard sincerity in that voice. Her cheeks flushed as she realized she was actually grateful for it.

_Don't be a sentimental idiot, girl! _her mind snarled at her, in a voice that sounded like a mixture of herself, Gaara, and Hanabi. _You don't have time to swoon over the enemy! He might not be a devil, he might not even be a bad person at all, but he. Is. The. Enemy. Treat him like it! He's most assuredly treating you the same way._

"Well, well," came the voice of Momochi Zabuza, laughter resonating deep within it, "she's learned something after all. This might be interesting for you after all, Haku."

So. That was his name. Haku.

_No! _screeched the voice. _He has no name! Don't you humanize him now! He's a target, and if you were thinking the way you should be, he would already be nothing but a corpse. Get your act together before you get everyone killed!_

Hinata's mouth twisted into a determined scowl.

Her eyelids slid down over her useless eyes, and she stepped out from beneath Gaara's protection. She reached down and removed her shoes. They were standard-issue, tough and hard and meant for hard work. They were good equipment. But right now, they were smothering.

Bare feet pressed against the cold stone of the bridge, she sent out a wave of chakra. She could feel them. She could feel the vibrations in the stone whenever either of them moved the slightest bit. She could feel them breathing.

She drew in a deep breath.

"I always wanted to be interesting," she said, in a biting tone that would have made Naruto swell with pride. "I'm so happy to oblige."

* * *

He rushed through the mist, feeling in the pit of his stomach that there was something wrong. The arrogance that had let him believe that his team needed him because he was such a hero had sloughed off him like a second skin, left only with a blazing desperation to help. It was down to the wire now, and he could tell that it was. The swaggering part of him had stepped down to let the ninja take over.

His body was on autopilot, his muscles singing at the chance to finally thrive. He moved with a speed and strength that belied every expectation anybody had ever made of him. He kicked off a broken-down fence and launched himself up onto the roofs of the village. A part of him honestly felt like a superhero as he soared through the cold, biting morning air.

What was it that had him like this? What fundamental part of him understood that something was wrong when the rest of him had no damn clue what was going on? It wasn't the presence of Gatou's flunkies at Tsunami's house; he'd expected _them. _After all, there was still a price on Tazuna's head, and the old man's family was a prime target still. And really, the mission wasn't over, so he figured he _should _feel like something was wrong.

But this ran deeper than "wrong." It was some alarm in the back of his head that told him he _needed _to find his team. An alarm that was blaring in his head like a wild beast, roaring and thrashing and _screaming _that something terrible was on the horizon, something deadly.

Something demonic.

It took him a while to understand that he could feel them. He knew that they'd gone to the bridge, and later he would wonder if it wasn't as simple as his being able to anticipate when he was nearing his destination. But at the time it felt like he could _sense _them, just like he could sense his alarm clock when he was still in bed, staring at the bottom of a pillow. He could hold out his hand without looking and _feel _the snooze button before he touched it, and that was what he felt right now.

Absurd as the thought was, it fit so perfectly that he knew he'd never find a better way to say it.

He came careening down the bridge and heard them before he saw them. Momochi Zabuza was a quiet rumble, Hatake Kakashi a light scratching. As he finally neared the actual battlefield, he heard Hinata. But her voice wasn't the voice he recognized, the voice he attached to her whenever he thought of her; she sounded confident, and sarcastic. She almost sounded cocky. She was saying, "…think it would be that easy, did you?"

Naruto heard a familiar voice respond: "I did. Thank you, so much, for proving me wrong."

_Gotta move gotta move gotta move, _he thought savagely, and the part of him that recognized the voice, like the part of him that remembered how to smile, was shoved to the side. It didn't matter. It wasn't important anymore. It gave him nothing.

All he felt was the electric rush of heat through his limbs, all he understood was prey. He was the predator, and that was all there was anymore. The mist? A minor inconvenience. Tazuna? An obstacle. Kakashi? A sideline observer. A member of his pack was in danger, and that was unacceptable. That was _not _allowed. He flew forward like a bullet sheathed in muscle, and it didn't even register that The Enemy had been pulled straight into a dome of water-logged sand. He saw the water, felt the change, and that was the end of rational thought.

Instinct, savage instinct, remained.

He felt heat, and locked onto it. He did not see the plant-gathering boy; he did not see the awestricken boy who wanted to know why he trained; he did not see a boy, or a girl, or a person. He saw a target. He saw his prey. His muscles sang a chorus of fire, and a crescendo of blood and flesh met him in the morning mist. The boy met him, each movement at each precise moment, and he kept going.

It took him an agonizingly long moment to realize that he could still feel his teammates; he couldn't feel them as people; not like that, no. Never like that. He felt their energy, felt the chakra running through them like rivers of liquid sunlight. He didn't stop to question why, although if he had been thinking properly he might have realized that there was a distinctly ominous nature to this phenomenon—in his haste to prove himself on this mission, and in his single-minded devotion to training, he had forgotten what he had seen the boy he called his brother do when _he_ lost himself to the heat of the fight. He did not think of the demon inside him, the creature crafted of hellfire that was the hurricane to the Shukaku's butterfly. He thought of nothing, and so he let it in. He let the force within him—he simply thought of it as instinct, and what a cruel joke _that _was—take control.

The beast roared with satisfaction.

He could feel them both, and he could feel…_something _in the girl. A blockage of some sort, a disruption in the flow of energy. It reached the eyes, he noted idly as he continued to move, as he continued to strike. His limbs shot out with mechanical efficiency, without any input from his brain. The training he had received from the black-haired madman was coming fully into play, and his body remembered every formation, every stance, every fluid movement, which left his mind free.

Dangerously free.

That blockage was blinding the girl. She was unable to see. It was odd, he thought, that she was then able to continue fighting, this pitiful little insect who relied so heavily upon sight. A part of him was marginally impressed as she stepped out from the red boy's defense and took her stance, ready to fight. Ready to die.

She would be useful.

He slammed a leg straight against his prey's head, sending him reeling to the ground, and whirled on the girl, sending a tendril of liquid flame searing through the air and striking her. She fell with a scream, and he heard, "Naruto!" from two distinct voices, but he paid them no mind. He hadn't the need to know what bothered them, what they considered "unnecessary roughness," or whatever they might be calling it now in their reports.

He turned back to his prey.

The exiled boy did not look the slightest bit perturbed by what _he _must know was a fundamental change in his enemy. Rather, he seemed more than a little delighted. This, he decided, was just fine. This, he decided, was perfect. And he continued. The hunt. The kill. The freedom.

It was glorious.

* * *

Gaara was a human shield. He knew that there were any number of people who would have bitterly debated his use of the term "human," but nonetheless he had been built to defend. Built to guard. The people of his home village hadn't dared to make him into a weapon because weapons could cut, and they were all paranoid of being cut. They would much rather hide behind a wall—send out their shield—than bother with learning how to properly wield a sword.

Hinata had an all-seeing eye; Kakashi had an all-knowing eye. What eyes did Sabaku no Gaara have? Just eyes. Eyes like any others. But those eyes were used by a demon more ancient than history, and that demon saw more than the all-seeing and it knew more than the all-knowing. All the bijuu were older than time, older than war, and while the Shukaku was not the most powerful by any stretch of the term—it was insane; tt was rabid—it was perfectly capable of shrewd observation.

He saw the mist boy slam through his barrier, because he _let _the mist boy slam through his barrier. He saw Hinata—tranquil little flower that she was—send the mist boy straight into the rock. And he saw the mist boy's blood, bones, and organs all turn to water; first red, then blue, then clear of all color.

He saw Kakashi block lightning strikes from the _other _demon, the handcrafted one, with all the focus and interest of a comatose man at the market, and he knew that they weren't in it yet. They weren't dancing yet.

Hinata was still blind. He could tell from her stance; it was rigid, practiced. It was stone.

Then he watched as Naruto came blazing through the mist like a knife, and Gaara wasn't entirely sure what he saw. He felt something, though, as the blond dropped onto the bridge and sent his body straight into an attack formation without a word. He was surprised that his friend hadn't bothered with an introduction speech. It seemed to be a breach of contract for him not to leap into the fray with his chest puffed out and his fists on his hips, declaring that the hero was here, and no one needed to worry anymore.

Something inside him tugged toward Naruto, sensing some persuasion of kindred spirit in the change. There was something dark in him now, something hot and angry and bloodthirsty. Just the same, though, he felt a seething hatred. He would wonder later if this is how a mongoose felt when confronted by a snake; each knew the other, felt a certain bond with each other, but all the same felt a ravenous need to rip the other apart.

Gaara blinked, reeled, and suddenly felt panic well up in him.

Naruto's form was perfect, frighteningly perfect, like his body was not his own. Like something else was controlling his muscles, controlling the flow of energy within him. And he knew this most fundamentally when Naruto shot a sweeping line of what looked like red fire straight at Hinata. "Naruto!" he called out, knowing before he'd done it that nothing would come of it. "Naruto, what the hell are you _doing?"_

But then he saw something in Hinata…change.

She blinked several times, losing her stance for a moment as she held up her hands and stared at them. Although there was no particular sign to say that she could see again, her body language made it all too clear that she could.

"Resourceful!" called out Zabuza's voice, laughter echoing through Gaara's bones. "I'm impressed, Copy Ninja! I suppose I should…show my respect." And he appeared, straight out of the smoke-and-shadows with his weapon sweeping out to the side. The demon spun, pure momentum sending that gargantuan blade crashing toward Kakashi like a guillotine with a grudge.

Kakashi, for his part, had become an optical illusion, blurring in and out of focus so many times that eventually it became less of a chore to think of him as an _event _rather than a man; to Zabuza's credit, the exile swordsman must have had better eyes than Gaara did because every time his opponent vanished, he turned and twirled and spun and wrenched so that when he reappeared, all Kakashi could see was sharp, bloody metal.

Gaara realized that if he retained his status as a shield, they would all die. Neither Zabuza nor Haku was going to focus on their target until their current opponents were finished, because their current opponents _were _their target. Tazuna was a secondary concern at best, an eventuality that had no meaning because the real thrill came in the hunt, not the kill. It was the chase, not the takedown, that they wanted.

He stole a glance at Tazuna, who was watching with rapt attention and wasn't paying any semblance of attention to Gaara. The red-haired boy that housed a demon scowled, raised his hands, and curled his fingers into fists.

It was time to go on the offensive.

It was time to learn the dance.

* * *

**_I like metaphors._**

**_I figured I'd just get that out there, and I tell you…it's a weight off my chest. You don't know how hard it was to admit that. Whew, I feel refreshed. Or…something. Don't mind me. Making sense isn't in my contract._**

**_I'm working out the rest of the fight. I'll have it up soon._**

**_And yes, the end of the fight will probably have gratuitous metaphors, just like this one. Just a fair warning._**

**_Take care, everybody._**


	31. 2, 20: Imploding Desert Funeral

_**It's a new year. With it comes new possibilities, new opportunities, and new clichés for me to spout as I try to ignore how long it's been since I've been able to work on this project.**_

_** I've been promising for a long time now that the conclusion would come to the Zabuza Arc soon. Here is the result of that promise.**_

_** I will not, unlike previously espoused, be jumping right into the Chuunin Exams. I've been pigeon-holed into following canon story so rigidly over the past few years, and I realize now that that's the main reason I have so much trouble writing it. The first story arc went so much more smoothly, because I wasn't working with a rigid outline.**_

_** So in the spirit of new beginnings, this year I'm going to be using a new method; I will be letting the story dictate to me where it should go, instead of the other way around. I'm going to be writing out some new missions for Team Kakashi to complete as they prepare for the exams.**_

_** So, without further introductions, let us begin.**_

* * *

"Warrior from the desert, become ye with shadows. Sandstorm given limbs and teeth, gnash and bite with vengeance. Yea, with great lust for blood. Blood is life, blood sustains. Let the earth be sustained, let the demons drink. With great lust for blood, may the demons drink."

Never be still. Never be rigid. Be a storm.

Those was the teachings of his elders. Gaara had become a part of the Hidden Leaf so many years ago that it was sometimes hard to remember that he had not been born to them. But he recalled now, when it was so pivotal, what he had been taught by the teachers from his own country. The Hidden Sand—who carried on their backs swords made of wind—had taught him to fight. He had spent so long learning to fight in the forest. Too long.

The young red-haired genin, whose home was so far away, spread out his arms and opened his hands. There would be no fists here. There would be no rigidness here. He called to the sand that was his birthright, and began to spin.

At first, no one took notice of him but Tazuna, frozen in shock and fear. His teacher was too busy locked in combat with Momochi Zabuza. Hinata was too focused on Haku. Naruto was lost to the world. This was good. A storm did its most devastating damage when it struck the unprepared. The heaviness of the air mixed with the sand. The sand became heavy. Instead of straining to bring it back into control, Gaara allowed it to dictate his motion. He let its momentum carry him. His feet led him into forms and stances he had never properly learned. His arms slid and flowed in a dance that would have been mesmerizing if he had been watching.

Gaara's bright green eyes were closed. His sight was compromised in this heavy, heavy mist, and so he rid himself of the temptation to rely on it, or even use it. He _felt _his opponent, cold and collected and sharp. Gaara also felt Hinata, cool and tranquil with an undercurrent of panic that agitated her like a shower of pebbles breaking the surface of a lake; and he felt Naruto, not a man or even a shape; just an indescribably dense _heat._

Gaara's sand struck the enemy, the boy called Haku, but he did not let himself rein in control of his weapon. He let it flow, widened its arc and struck again. Again, and again. He let instinct guide him, let momentum take him. He relinquished the illusion of control. There could be no controlled assault on this foe. He had never faced an enemy like Haku. He had never been prepared for a master of ice and moisture. Gaara had no way to predict him, this child just barely older than he was, who was yet able to hold himself against three opponents without even a sense of exertion. The key was not skill, nor training. Haku was a savant, devoted heart and soul to honing his body into a _thing_. Haku had no goal, he had no life, outside of his work. Haku was a moving, living weapon.

Gaara could not anticipate the movements of a being so empty, and so he didn't try.

He simply spun.

He became a storm.

* * *

Watching a ninja fight another ninja was often described by laypeople as one of two things: a dance, or a magic act. Watching one ninja fight three ninja could only be described as a hallucination. Tazuna had the most mystifyingly infuriating time trying to figure out what it was that he was watching.

Naruto was leaping around, circling his opponent like a natural predator; Tazuna had never seen anyone, even a practiced athlete, with muscles nearly as devastatingly strong as Naruto's. The young exiled ninja, who Zabuza called Haku, made a series of hand gestures and set up some kind of barrier made of water, which quickly crystallized into ice. Naruto bashed his way through it, and bounced back as a flurry of needles shot out from the cracks. The ice barriers shattered into a hundred glistening shards, and Naruto used one of the larger ones as leverage to launch himself like a comet straight at his prey.

Haku vanished, and the blond-haired, orange-suited projectile crashed into the ground with the force of a boulder launched from a catapult, sending a multitude of concrete shrapnel into the sterile air.

Haku seemed to climb out of one of the shards of his ice shield, and had to snap out of the way as Hinata set herself upon him. She looked like the most docile, subservient of children; even though he knew the truth, it still set Tazuna's mind to spinning as he watched this delicate little girl fight…and fight _well. _It seemed to be true, what the others all said about her: her eyes saw everything. Regardless of the tactics Haku used, which even the old construction worker could tell would have confused and devastated normal opponents; regardless of any tricks of his trade, as he slipped and feigned and dodged and dipped and flipped, Hinata was there. She saw him, she saw through him, and she was there.

Hinata must have been readying for a truly crippling blow, because as she slid into a stance that Tazuna hadn't seen before, Haku suddenly cut off all contact and leaped into the air. This turned out to be a horrendous mistake, as a pillar of hard, mist-soaked sand slammed into his back and sent him careening into the ground. For the first time, Tazuna heard Haku cry out in pain.

Tazuna couldn't help but think that Haku, the _enemy, _sounded far more delicate than any of the children he was trying to kill. The old man felt a twinge of guilt and empathy as he heard that voice. Hinata, too, seemed momentarily stunned. But Naruto and Gaara, both lost in a cage of bloodlust, refused to hesitate. The blond boy that was so carefree, the blond boy that seemed a born charmer and little else, was a wild beast with its leash cut. Gaara was a force of nature, an extension of the sand that was his weapon.

Sand and arm, fist and claw, pummeled and smashed and rent and tore, and Tazuna was so sure that Haku was dead. He had to be dead. There was no force on earth that could match such a disgusting onslaught. He felt his breakfast churning in his gut, and _knew _he was going to spill it over the concrete. His face went cold and clammy, and he held a hand to his mouth.

This was wrong.

This was horrid.

This…was evil.

And then, without preamble, without any slightest movement or sound, sheets of ice as thick as paving stones shot up from the crater that should have been a young exile's grave. It formed a dome, a shell. Impenetrable. Impervious.

It was only when Tazuna heard Naruto's roar of frustrated fury that he realized Haku wasn't the only one contained in that cage.

Hinata was gone.

* * *

"Sarutobi Hiruzen…hero of the people. You're getting old, you know."

"I would return the sentiment," the Third Hokage replied, "if I knew your name. However, you seem quite determined to keep that a secret. Even to your own children." Sarutobi turned slowly to face the speaker. The Fourth Kazekage had aged considerably in the years since they'd last seen each other. His auburn hair was cropped short, and his eyes seemed sunken, almost sickly.

The Kazekage smirked, and it sent cracked wrinkles along his face, making him look like nothing so much as a ghoul. "Some of us still hold to the old ways, Sarutobi."

"It seems to be going so well for you."

"So snide." The Kazekage took a meandering step forward, a bit of his old swaggering confidence returning to him. "You take pride in the prosperity of your land. Have you ever considered the idea that that prosperity is softening your soldiers? Without hardship, how can they hone their skills? Sharpen their instincts? Defend themselves against…potential danger?"

"Potential, is it?" Sarutobi's eyes turned flinty. "You've never been one for flowery threats. You came here for a reason, and it didn't have anything to do with the upcoming exams. You could have simply sent Yashamaru for that. For you to be here in person would have taken a more pressing reason."

The Fourth Kazekage was not a gentle man. He seemed bound and determined to become as much of a statue as the memorials of his predecessors that presided over his counsel chamber. His dark eyes flashed. "You do know I'm taking him back…don't you?"

Sarutobi chuckled. "You mean to say that the arrangement _wasn't _permanent? Oh, my. And here I was, so naïve to think otherwise. Let me guess: through whatever channels you've managed to wrap your talons around, you've realized that our village has p_acified _the Shukaku. Now that Gaara seems, to your sensibilities, controllable…you want your weapon. Well, now, here is the problem with that: I have never had the intention of treating my shinobi like bargaining chips. Which means that if he wants to return to your people, I will do whatever it is within my power to see it happen. However, you will not be _taking _anyone."

"Do you have enough faith in your soldiers to prevent it?"

Sarutobi grinned. "I teach my ninja to have faith in each other. To protect each other. If you attempt to take your son back to the desert without his expressed consent…I do think that his fellows will be quite vocal in their dissent."

By the way that the man's eyes turned from dark and confident to brooding, Sarutobi knew that his rather unstable ally knew full and well who made up Gaara's squad. Hinata may not have been the most popular member of her family, but the Third knew Hyuuga Hiashi well enough by now that he wouldn't take a threat to his clan's pride lightly. Naruto had no political connections, but talk of his true nature had been leaking out of the village for so long now. And last, but most definitively not least…Konoha's own secret weapon.

"How has Sasuke's training been coming along, old friend?" Sarutobi asked.

Some amount of equilibrium returned, and the Kazekage's patented smirk returned to his face. "He seems…particularly suited to our methods. I must thank you for the most golden opportunity."

"I could say the same to you." The dark edge returned. "I should think that if the investment were rescinded, and each of our…transfer students were to return home, they should find it quite difficult to acclimate again. I don't know that that's such a good idea. But I _should _like to see how they perform in the exams." Sarutobi gestured to the mounds of scrolls and data sheets on his desk. "Shall we continue with the busy work, and ensure that our young stars have the proper chance to prove themselves?"

The Kazekage chuckled. "…Very well, then."

* * *

A very familiar roar broke Hatake Kakashi's concentration.

A sweeping blade aimed at his throat very nearly connected and sent his head flying. "What's this?" Momochi Zabuza jeered. "Lost in thought, are we? That just won't do!"

Kakashi had just enough time to block the blade with one armor-backed glove, and used the momentum of the blow to fall to the side. He rolled back upright and balanced on the balls of his feet, ready to move again. His eyes were both open, and he should have been able to end this by now. But the exile's accursed mist had him reeling.

And he worried about his students.

The Copy Ninja had known, from the word go, that this mission was a bad idea. His team was still almost hopelessly green. They worked well together, that much was a blessing, but this mission would have been A-class, if not S. It would have been suited to a special ops squad…perhaps even Gai's team.

But not a handful of rookies.

"What fools we are," Kakashi said as he leaped into the air, narrowly avoiding the savage edge of his opponent's sword. "What hypocrites!" He rushed forward, sending an elbow crashing into a human-shaped balloon of water. "We send children to war, and congratulate ourselves when they don't die!"

Zabuza's throaty chuckle echoed in Kakashi's ears.

"How _proud _your teachers must have been!" the son of the White Fang belted out. "We call you a monster! We pride ourselves for being better than you! And all you showed them…were their own faces staring back at them!"

Zabuza careened into Kakashi's back, and his sword came crashing down into the concrete where a spinal cord had been mere moments before. Instead, a huge cinder block split itself in two. "Isn't that the poetry of it? Isn't that the _romance?"_

What were they doing? Had Naruto finally broken?

Damn it!

A brutal _crash _into his midriff sent the Copy Ninja flat onto his back. Taking in a painful breath and wondering how many ribs would be shattered by the time this day ended, Kakashi closed his eyes and remembered.

_"It's nothing without the mission. Honor, nobility, victory. It means nothing in symbolism. If the mission fails, nothing else matters. The people saved, the beauty of comradeship, the glory of a last stand…nothing!"_

But another voice came through, on the heels of the other; a scratchy voice, an irritating voice. A painful…beautiful voice.

_"Anyone who breaks the rules…yeah, they're scum. But anyone who'd abandon their comrades is worse than scum! If I'm gonna be called scum either way, then damn it…I'm breaking the rules! And if that's not being a proper shinobi, then I'll damn well _keep_ breaking them until that tradition's destroyed!"_

Kakashi stood up, and broke the rules.

He turned his attention away from his opponent, showed his back to an opponent so dangerous that he'd been given orders to kill on sight even though the man wasn't even from his own country, and went to his team.

"It's _dangerous _to bring the fight so close to them, you know. Considering they already have enough to deal with. Don't you think?" Zabuza was beyond confident; he was so blatantly unconcerned for his own safety that he pointedly _refused _to take advantage of an opening.

"This is no time to think."

And with that, Kakashi made a break straight for the cataclysm that had once been Uzumaki Naruto.

* * *

It would have been a lie to say that the men hired by Gatou Company were intelligent. In fact, it was usually a prerequisite that they be distinctly below-average in the brains department. This was primarily because Gatou…_thought _himself clever. It was more strategic, not to mention cheaper, to call on people who were easily satisfied, and thus easily manipulated.

The unfortunate part of this equation came when his usual rank-and-file flunkies wouldn't suffice. Gatou had known from the beginning that he would need better if he was to fully take advantage of the Waves, and thus he'd brought in shinobi for the first time.

This was his first mistake.

He specifically sought out missing-nin, thinking that exiled ninja would be far easier to handle, and eventually dispose of, than hired hands from an established village. After all, it would be much more beneficial to kill off people that the other ninja wanted dead, wasn't it? They wouldn't ask as many questions. Not to mention, ninja on the run would be more desperate for work.

This was his second mistake.

He overestimated his ability to hide his true intentions from Momochi Zabuza and the boy named Haku, trying in his arrogance to play them the same way he played his other men. He never once thought that they would be able to see through his ruse; that they would be waiting for his eventual double-cross, and would use it to their own advantage by feigning surprise just long enough to lull him into a false sense of security. Gatou never thought that he, a master manipulator, could be manipulated.

This was his third mistake.

"They're losing," came the report late in the morning while Zabuza made his last stand against Hatake Kakashi and the Hidden Leaf. "The brats from the forest are hard-pressed, but eventually…they'll win out. The blond kid in particular is turning out to be…a problem."

Gatou cursed loudly, sending a lamp careening off his desk and into the nearby wall with one sweep of his fat hand. "What the holy hell do they think I'm paying them for?" he roared to no one in particular. "I've had enough! It's high time I show them just what it means to fail the Gatou Company! Rally the Bravo Company, and anybody else you can find! I'm going to crush them all like _gnats!"_

One never becomes rich in business without gaining a healthy amount of…self-confidence. Nonetheless, Gatou had already made too many miscalculations with the ninja on his payroll, and it never crossed his mind that Momochi Zabuza and his protégé were the only barriers keeping Konoha from targeting him, and his enterprise, directly.

There were only so many mistakes a person can make, before the consequences started rolling in.

* * *

"You can see everything with those eyes of yours…can't you, Hinata-san?"

Mirrors. At every angle, surrounding her. Her own reflection stared back at her. She saw her own eyes, wide and feverish, veins bulging. She saw her body, shaking with a crippling combination of adrenaline and terror, bundled up in the thick jacket she wore, often just to hide the fact that she was one of the smallest ninja her village had ever produced.

Haku's voice was haggard, and there was a certain edge to it. Clearly, the onslaught that had prefaced this alien technique had had an effect on him. He wasn't hiding it; there was no bravado in this boy. Nonetheless, there was a certainty in that voice.

"You certainly have a devastating style of fighting," the young exile continued, seeming to be speaking from each of the myriad of ice-mirrors at once. "There's no surprising you, is there? That's…a problem. You see, my job hinges on surprising people. If I can't do that…what _can _I do?"

Somehow, the young Hyuuga knew that Haku expected a response out of her. This wasn't a rhetorical question; he seemed honestly curious. Everything about this boy was…honest. Maybe that was why she answered: "…Adapt." She remembered something her uncle, Hizashi, had told her once. "The winner of a battle isn't the strongest, or the fastest, or even the smartest…but the one who keeps his feet the longest."

Haku's chuckle echoed. "Wise words. I wonder, then, how long you can keep _your_ feet, Hinata-san."

"Long enough," Hinata said, her tone quiet but steady. She knew she wouldn't have the strength to defeat this boy. Though she had told Haku to adapt, the truth of the matter was that Hinata was built for surprise, as well. Her eyes found an opening, her training exploited it. She'd never been able to rely on stamina like Naruto, or natural ability like Gaara.

And brute force? Absolutely not.

Another chuckle. "Good answer," Haku murmured. "I really hate to prove it in error. But…I have a job to do."

The exile's form stepped into view. No matter which way she looked, Hinata couldn't tell which was real. They all looked identical, even to her eyes.

"Even if you can _see _them coming from all directions…how long can you avoid them?"

There was a beat of silence.

Then, the rain.

Needles; from the ice mirrors came scores upon scores of needles. In the shadow of each, there waited another, and in the shadow of that one came three more. Hinata slipped into the proper stance, a knife in each hand, spinning and ducking and weaving as she strained to block them from meeting their mark.

The air vibrated with sparks and clangs as metal met metal ten thousand times over. And while the rain of needles continued, she could see his body, lithe and hidden in shadow, bouncing from mirror to mirror, flying this way and that, ensuring that no matter where she aimed, no matter where she looked, he was there…and he was not there.

She couldn't keep up.

It was hopeless.

All the training, all the sleepless nights, all the bleeding knuckles and bruised ribs…was for nothing.

She could feel it, here. Now. Breathing like the tendrils of an ice dragon down her neck.

Death.

Her death was here.

Her fighting style was useless here. It was all she could do to defend herself enough to keep from taking a fatal strike. She was no long-distance fighter; she needed contact. She had no ninjutsu capable of manipulating elements, like Gaara's sand, or the flames that made the Uchiha so famous, to strike at these mirrors, so cold that every time any part of her even got near one, she felt numb.

There was no time to think.

No time to react.

Instinct and training were all that kept her body intact and upright.

Over the flashes and ringing vibrations of the needles on her knives and shuriken, Hinata thought she heard Haku whisper something: "I sincerely hope this works."

Then…

* * *

Gaara's eyes were closed, but he could hear. He could hear his commander's quick and subtle movements as he avoided the demon's sword. He could hear Tazuna's harsh breathing. He could hear Naruto, roaring with frustration like a wounded bear as he sent wave after wave of chakra at the ice barrier, struggling with all his unholy power to reach the Hyuuga heiress.

He could hear his enemy's voice, taunting. Hinata's voice, struggling to stay calm. He could hear the clang of metal on metal, the clash of blade on blade.

Gaara remained calm, searching, feeling, waiting for an opening. Waiting for a chance to help her.

Sabaku no Gaara knew the meaning of suffering. He knew the isolation of having a family that rejected him. When he had first learned firsthand the kind of disdain that the Hyuuga Clan had for its own successor, to the point that her own father would toss her aside like a bit of trash he'd inadvertently stepped on, it had been like looking into a mirror.

He knew that Naruto understood that same rejection; not from family, but from an entire community. They had each promised each other, not in words but in spirit, that they would never allow that rejection to change them. To hurt them. To stop them.

They had each other. They had their dreams.

They weren't alone anymore.

He remembered one mission in particular, back when they were first learning the ropes, when Kakashi had instructed Hinata to locate and return their client's missing cat. He'd specifically informed Naruto and Gaara that this would be _her _mission, and that they were not permitted to intervene.

It was a simple enough affair, and so there was no reason to fear for her safety. She found the runaway pet, gave it back to its owner, and spent the rest of that afternoon with a wide grin on her face.

Excited that she had executed a mission all on her own, without any mistakes, she had been looking forward to telling her father that she was improving. Sadly, neither of her teammates had been surprised that Hyuuga Hiashi had been less than impressed, and had sent her away without a word of acknowledgement.

The main thing that Gaara remembered about that mission, though, wasn't the missing cat, or the apathetic father. It was that night, when Hinata had been sitting outside her clan's compound, and Naruto had been trying to cheer her up.

Likely without even realizing what he was saying, the blond jinchuuriki called his teammate "Hina-chan." This likely throwaway term of endearment seemed to have the opposite effect Naruto had been hoping for, as Hinata proceeded to sob uncontrollably for a full ten minutes, before finally falling unconscious from exhaustion.

In that moment, Gaara realized something important: they needed each other. All three of them. They weren't just a team put together for convenience. They balanced each other. Hinata kept Naruto calm, Naruto kept Gaara balanced, and Gaara kept Hinata focused. Naruto inspired, Gaara directed, Hinata comforted.

But it was even more than that, wasn't it?

It was something…intangible, but no less powerful.

When Hinata screamed, it was that force—whatever it was—that woke in him. He felt Naruto stop dead, like some invisible force-field held him fast, and knew that it was rising up in _him, _as well.

Enough.

That was enough.

Gaara opened his eyes, and drew in a shaking breath.

Naruto's fists clenched so tightly that bone cracked.

And the world exploded.

* * *

Kakashi was inches from Naruto's hunched and trembling back when he heard her.

He'd already guessed that stopping the blond would be a lost cause as soon as he realized that Hinata was trapped in whatever technique Haku was using. With the young Hyuuga injured, there would be no stopping him. Kakashi changed tactics mid-leap, shifting direction and landing in front of Gaara.

The silver-haired jounin could _feel _the anger boiling off of the young jinchuuriki's body. _"…Move."_

That single word was like a weapon, boring through Kakashi's heart. It wasn't the voice of Gaara, the quiet boy who didn't sleep; nor was it the voice of the quiet boy who loved his comrades, who relied on his teammates for meaning and stability in the life into which he'd been thrust; nor was it even the voice of the dangerous boy who held a demon inside of his body.

It was the voice of the demon itself.

Even Zabuza, stalking from the mist surrounding them, stopped cold at the sound of that voice.

It was a voice that could freeze Heaven.

"I can't do that, Gaara."

_"That wasn't a request."_

A fist of sand crashed into Kakashi's side before he had the presence of mind to start preparing for it. How he managed to keep his feet after the force of the blow, he wasn't sure. It was at this point that Hatake Kakashi realized the true danger that a Jinchuuriki represented.

Naruto was strangely silent, standing with his head down and his fists at his sides. He was shaking.

Momochi Zabuza fancied himself a demon.

But when the two _real _demons locked eyes with each other, the eruption that followed sent the son of the White Fang _and _the exiled Shinobi Swordsman at least twenty feet backward. Kakashi planted his feet with as much force as he could muster, and felt the concrete of the bridge give way against his heels.

The sand of the Shukaku and the flames of the Kyuubi met in a hurricane of pure destructive force, a pyroclasm of malice and hatred that sliced through Haku's mirrors like the claws of the devil. It was no different to them than the first, paper-thin ice shield Haku had created. The hunter-nin flew into the air with a cry that was more frustration—or was it?—than pain, and Naruto shot up like he'd been waiting in a catapult, and Kakashi heard bone crack as Naruto's skull collided with Haku's ribs.

Sand flew up and wrapped snake-like around the exile's throat, and sent him slamming down onto shattered concrete. Naruto was on him before the dust ever thought of settling.

Kakashi straightened.

_"Kakashi-sensei!"_

Hinata's voice was like a whip-crack against his whirling thoughts, and the Copy Ninja scrambled to dodge a jet of water so charged with force that it may as well have been a spear.

* * *

With her teammates defending her with all the ferocity of rabid dogs, Hyuuga Hinata was untouchable. And with Hyuuga Hinata's eyes guiding him, so was Hatake Kakashi. The song-and-dance continued for a while, with Haku pinned down by Gaara's sand and Naruto regaining just enough presence of mind to use his clones to help guard his comrades.

Momochi Zabuza had never been a coward. As every weapon he'd ever cultivated was met and countered by the red-eyed legend from the Hidden Leaf, he began to entertain the very real notion that he might die here. That this might be the end.

He did not fear.

He did not balk.

If anything, more and more excitement continued to grow, making his blood sing. His movements sped up, his attacks grew more and more savage, and every time Kakashi met him on equal footing he felt like _this _was the moment he'd been waiting for.

By this point, Tazuna was forgotten. Zabuza no longer wanted to kill him, and Kakashi's team no longer thought to defend him. He was old, and he wasn't stupid. He took this chance to find a secure place to hide. There was no reason for him to get involved in the deadly ballet that was unfolding in front of him with more and more explosive force with each passing moment, and now that nobody was even thinking of him, it would have been suicidal to overlook the chance.

And so it was Tazuna, long before any of the ninja, who first noticed the mob approaching, and realized what it had to mean. Before long, he could see Gatou at the front of the charge, wearing his angry smirk like a mask, as contemptible and disturbing as it had ever looked.

A part of him reared up and said that he had to warn them.

The rest of him knew…the ninja weren't the ones in danger here.

As if flying in the face of that thought, Hinata was the first to break away from the fray to confront the mob; of course. Her eyes would have seen them long before they showed themselves to the others. But just from glancing at her now, Tazuna could tell that she was in no position to block anyone from anything.

Her body was peppered with needles, her left arm was hanging limply at her side, and her legs were shaking as she strained to keep herself standing. Her eyes were barely open, and as Tazuna watched, the prominent veins and lines disappeared, and she very nearly fell to a knee.

"…G-Gatou-san!" she cried, her voice scratchy and strained. "Please! Stay away! It's dangerous!" She seemed to have forgotten that she was talking to one of the most disgusting human beings Tazuna had ever met; her politeness was almost quaint.

Gatou gestured, and his flunkies stopped moving. Then he gestured again, and two of his men approached the broken kunoichi. They were armed with simple, crude weapons. Tazuna could see real fear rising up on Hinata's face, and felt his heart ache.

She didn't have the strength left to fend them off.

"What'd you say, li'l girl?" one of the men growled.

"She's got a lip on 'er," the other said with a slimy grin. "Oughtta teach 'er some _manners!"_

A big, grimy hand made to grab at Hinata's hair. Instinct flared up in her, and she dropped. A leg swept out and caught the hulking thug by the ankles, knocking him straight into his partner. Hinata stood up, adjusted her jacket, and looked back up at the man in charge. "Gatou-san!" she sobbed._ "Please!"_

_ "Shut your mouth, you little bitch!" _Gatou snarled, and this time a group of them came rushing forward, waving their crowbars and their knives and their pitchforks. Hinata closed her eyes for a bare moment, grimacing with pain and regret. She looked ready to die.

Of all the people to appear in front of her, the last one the old worker would have expected or even believed, was Haku. Just as beaten and exhausted as the girl, his mask falling off his face in chunks, his single visible eye was blazing with disgusted fury.

"Do _not_…interfere."

The mob stopped as solidly as if they'd hit a brick wall.

"What the hell are you waiting for? This circus act is over!" Gatou crowed, not seeing or ignoring the abject terror on his soldiers' faces. "It's time you learned a lesson, boy! _This _is what it means to fail me!"

Haku straightened, his breath still coming in ragged hitches. "…Are you terminating our contract…Gatou-san?" he asked, not the least bit surprised or disappointed. "Officially?"

"You're _goddamned _right, I'm terminating the contract! Now _kill them! **KILL THEM!"**_

The young exile reached up and removed what remained of his mask, revealing his pale, pretty face. And the thoroughly _sadistic _grin spreading on his lips. The mob was approaching again, and fast.

A tidal wave of sand rose up like a building imploding in reverse, and this time there _was _a solid wall stopping them. Standing like a lord atop his battlements was Gaara, untouched by fatigue or injury, glaring down at the Gatou Company like a malevolent god.

"You have done…enough."

The untapped fury in those bright green eyes sent a shock of superstitious fear down Tazuna's spine. Gatou screeched again, and his soldiers began breaking through the sand. Instead of showing surprise, fear, or anything of the sort…the red-haired boy from the desert grinned.

The sand fell, and Gaara fell with it, laughing.

The last thing Tazuna heard before the world went black was a low, quiet, trembling voice whisper:

_"…Sabaku kyuu."_

* * *

When the old man woke up, he was staring up at the wooden roof of his own home; and his daughter's face, a bit dirty but entirely unharmed, looking down at him. She smiled. "You're lucky," she said, wiping his forehead with a damp cloth.

"What…what the _hell _happened?" Tazuna demanded, throwing himself into a sitting position and looking wildly around. He saw Kakashi, standing off to the side reading. He saw Naruto, and Gaara, and Hinata, all sitting around him. He saw Inari at his other side, grinning like a fool.

And he saw Haku, sitting in a corner dressed in a flowery pink robe, staring out a window.

"The mission is over," Kakashi said. "Gaara ended the…altercation with Gatou and his subordinates. I'm sure you'll be devastated to know that Gatou himself…did not survive."

"…Uh…" was all Tazuna could manage, mouth hanging open.

"Gaara-kun had…words with him," Hinata said, sounding haunted.

Tazuna's eyes narrowed, glaring intently at the exiled hunter. "…Hold it, now. You guys…what, just…aren't fighting now? That's it? Gatou shows up and you team up like old friends? What's _that?"_

"Our mission was to rid this village of Gatou and his men," Kakashi said. "It had nothing to do with Momochi Zabuza. They fought us because _their _mission was to defend Gatou. When that mission was terminated, there was no reason for us to continue."

"He tried to _kill _you! He tried to kill _me!"_

Kakashi shrugged.

"That is the way of shinobi," Gaara murmured. "We complete our mission. That is all. When there is no mission, there is no fight."

Still unable to find words to properly express…whatever it was that he was thinking, Tazuna turned back to the corner, intent on asking Haku what the _hell _he was doing. But he was gone. Like he'd never been there.

Tazuna lowered his head back onto the floor. "I don't know _what _that sand wall thing was, or how it happened. But…thank you. All of you. Considering how I hoodwinked you all into showing up…I'll find a way to pay you. I'll fix that damn bridge, I'll _finish _that damn bridge, and I'll pay you."

"I think you, and your village, have enough to worry about," Kakashi said. "We'll chalk this up to an extended training exercise. If you find yourself with a surplus of income at some point in the future…we'll see about a charitable donation." He stepped away from the wall. "We'll talk again when you're in better shape. Get some rest now."

That was all the excuse Tazuna needed.

Everything disappeared again.

* * *

Team Kakashi met with Momochi Zabuza and Haku outside the village limits, ensconced in mist and trees. Haku was still dressed in his kimono, looking positively radiant as they approached. Zabuza, for his part, looked irritated.

"He's going to think you were a hallucination," Kakashi murmured, glancing at Haku.

The hunter chuckled. "That's quite a compliment." His expression turned serious. "I have no right to speak to him, or to his family. I simply wished to ensure that he was in sound health." He stole a look over his shoulder at his master. "Zabuza-sama wished to be gone from this place already."

Zabuza did not speak.

Hinata cleared her throat, and smiled when Naruto put a protective hand on her back. "I'm okay…Naruto-kun." She looked at Haku. "You could have killed me," she murmured. "But you didn't. You _wanted _to make Naruto-kun and Gaara-kun angry. So they would stop you."

Haku did not respond.

"You're lucky you gave us those plants or whatever to help Hinata 'n the old man," Naruto said. "I _still _wanna knock out some o' your teeth."

"I would welcome the challenge, Naruto-kun," Haku said, with another smile.

At this point, Zabuza glared at Kakashi. "This ain't over," he grumbled.

Kakashi simply grinned behind his mask. "I should hope not."

Haku sighed. "We should be going, Zabuza-sama." He bowed deeply before the other shinobi. "It was a pleasure meeting you, ninja of the Hidden Leaf. I have learned much from you."

In a blink, they were both gone.

"Are we not going after them?" Gaara murmured.

"They are not a part of this mission," Kakashi said. "Our job is finished. Tazuna and his men will be able to finish their bridge, now that the Gatou Company is gone. I think it's about time that we head back home."

Naruto still had an arm around Hinata's shoulders, helping her walk, as they started back. "Helluva story we're gonna have, huh?" He was grinning; he clearly didn't remember what he had become on the battlefield. He didn't remember losing any semblance of control, and nearly ripping Haku's limbs from his body. It was like…he'd been asleep for it all.

But Hinata smiled for him, like she always did.

If that beast was a part of Uzumaki Naruto, then she intended to be proud of it.

She just wished Gaara had been asleep through _his _transformation. The former sand-nin had been fully aware of his actions as he'd sent his sand barreling over the peons and miscreants of the Gatou Company.

He'd been fully conscious of the sadistic pleasure he took when he'd murmured, in a voice that was almost a purr: _"Sabaku Sousou." _As blood had mixed with the sand, and strangled screams met his ears, it had been like music.

Now that he had calmed, now that his team was no longer in danger, Sabaku no Gaara was…traumatized. Nobody had said anything to him about it; not even Kakashi. Naruto didn't seem to recall that final act of carnage, just like the rest of it.

Hinata reached over and took the red-haired ninja's hand. Gaara flinched; he looked at her, searching, then a ghost of a smile met his lips.

"We won," she said.

_We lived._

* * *

Inari was bawling as the ninja from the Leaf left his village, calling out that he would come visit sometime, thanking them over and over again. Tsunami, her hands on her son's shoulders, cried silently. She'd mentioned many times to Naruto that if not for him, she didn't think the boy would have ever smiled again.

Tazuna had shaken their hands, promising again to send payment as soon as he could afford it. He'd told the three genin that it had been a mistake to underestimate them, and that they should be proud of themselves. He said that if Konoha ever needed any construction done, to call him. He and his men would be there.

Kakashi watched as his students were cheered by the villagers. He worried about Naruto, and about Gaara. He worried that they would lose control before long, and that the damage might not be directed at an enemy next time. He worried that guilt might take Gaara down that dark, dark road from which he'd been saved so many years ago. He worried that Naruto might snap completely if he ever remembered what he was capable of doing when the Kyuubi had hold of him. He worried that Hinata would never quite recover from the injuries she'd sustained; she didn't have the shields that Gaara did, nor the incredible stamina of Naruto. She had her herbs, but they would only go so far.

Hatake Kakashi worried about a lot of things.

But as he turned to lead his students home, he ignored it all. He let his students bask in the glory of victory.

And he let himself be proud of them.

* * *

"_**Sabaku kyuu" and "Sabaku sousou" are, of course, the Japanese transliterations of Gaara's most famous moves (at least to me), Desert Coffin and its accompanying Desert Funeral. Just because he works for the Leaf now doesn't mean he doesn't have some of his old tricks, after all.**_

_** To say that this storyline was difficult would be a cataclysmic understatement, and I can't apologize enough for the complications and backpedaling and false promises I made while completing it. I make no new promises now, except to reiterate an old one: this story is not going away. I have my endgame figured out now, and I know how it's going to unfold. No longer will I be bound by the plotline of the manga. I'm going to tell the story that deserves to be told.**_

_** I hope that you all will join me.**_

_** I also hope that you enjoyed this arc, and that its conclusion was satisfactory.**_

_** After all…they lived!**_

_** And we all know that's most important.**_

_** Have a great time in 2012, everybody.**_

_** And thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for your patience and support.**_


	32. 3, 1: Sinister

_**This one's a bit short, and the notes will be similarly short.**_

_** I just want to take this time to welcome you to Part 3 of "No Longer Alone," and express my hope that you will enjoy the direction that the story will be taking from now on. Have fun, and if you're so inclined, let me know what you think.**_

_** Enjoy.**_

* * *

Umino Iruka and Hyuuga Hiashi had never had cause to be in the same room before, to either man's recollection. Nonetheless, here they were, standing next to each other and waiting for Hatake Kakashi to speak. The silver-haired jounin didn't seem particularly pressed for time, and so it had become a species of staring contest, each waiting for the others to begin talking, and refusing to admit defeat by instigating conversation himself.

Iruka felt out of place in the presence of one of the village's most…prominent people. Hiashi was very rarely ever found outside his compound, and the young instructor couldn't help but wonder how Kakashi had managed to convince him to come here. That, of course, led him to wonder what _purpose _Kakashi had had in convincing him in the first place, which led him to turning back to Kakashi and waiting for someone to speak.

It was getting to the point that he was starting to count the little bumps in the plaster on the wall behind the man—for the second time. Hiashi, perhaps ironically, didn't look perturbed in the slightest. His stately robes fell from his body like the statue of a waterfall; they didn't move a micrometer, and neither did the expression on their owner's face.

Finally, minutes after they had arrived here, in Iruka's classroom, Kakashi said, "I called you both here to discuss my impressions of my squad, after the success of their recent mission in the Land of Waves. As has been previously mentioned, the client was disingenuous in describing the job, and as such my students were placed in danger unfit for their skill level."

Hiashi frowned, shattering the illusion that he was a piece of artwork, and his grey eyes narrowed. Iruka's brown ones widened slightly.

"What of it?" the head of the Hyuuga Clan replied sharply.

"I would like it known, to the both of you, that all three of my students performed more than admirably, and it is solely due to their influence and efforts that the mission was successful. And though she will claim readily that Sabaku no Gaara and Uzumaki Naruto were much more instrumental in that success than she, I wish for both of you to understand that Hyuuga Hinata, in her diligence and dedication to prove her worth, proved far more apt in combat than anyone might have expected. Her improvement far outshines that of her teammates."

"That's wonderful to hear, Kakashi-san," Iruka said, smiling.

"Yes, lovely," Hiashi added, much more curtly. "Is that all?"

"It does not become an all-seeing eye to allow its blind spot to become so wide as to ignore budding potential as it begins to bloom," Kakashi said, somewhat sardonically, leveling a less-than-deferential eye on his kunoichi's father. "I have seen firsthand that your assessment of your firstborn's capabilities is woefully inadequate. I would suggest that you…rethink it."

That seemed to be all; without another word, Hatake Kakashi was gone. To say that Hiashi looked surprised at his fellow jounin's words would have been catastrophically understating the obvious. Iruka thought idly that he had the look of a king who's just had his crown stolen by a beggar.

Hiashi was the next to disappear, leaving Iruka by himself to brood about the fact that three of his students had somehow managed to skirt almost certain death. Greenhorn genin, who'd just finished learning the basics of working as a team, had no place surviving a mission involving an S-class threat like the Demon of the Mist. And yet they'd lived. Not only had they lived, they'd triumphed.

He still found himself wondering…how? Oh, sure, Gaara and Naruto were jinchuuriki. And Hinata's eyes were nearly as devastating as anything a bijuu could conjure—or would be, once she mastered her use of them—but still.

Momochi Zabuza.

Good Lord.

* * *

Gaara couldn't bring himself to ignore the fact that Hinata felt good about herself for once, and so he didn't bring up the fact that his brain felt like it was crashing into a thousand jagged little pieces on the ground between his feet. She was so excited, regaling her sister—and Konohamaru, who seemed to have taken a bit of a liking to the younger Hyuuga heiress—with the tale of how their mission had gone in the Land of Waves, that even Naruto had taken a step back and simply opted to listen. Usually, he would have been interposing at this point to ensure the audience that he'd been suitably _amazing. _He didn't. He was just grinning, ear to ear, enjoying the story.

Hanabi, for her part, was playing the part of rapt listener perfectly; her grey eyes were wide and sparkling. It might have been that most of the Hyuuga Clan had no time nor use for Hinata, but this was not true of the youngest member. When Big Sister got to the part where she'd gone toe-to-toe with an exiled chuunin with poison on his gauntlets, Little Sister swelled with pride and shot Konohamaru a wide, dazzling grin.

"That was _awesome," _Naruto muttered to himself, smirking. It might have been expected that he would now mention his absolute genius plot to confuse the enemy, but again, he defied expectations by staying silent. Hinata mentioned it instead, and the blond actually looked slightly embarrassed. Konohamaru was the one who looked proud now, saying that he expected no less from his rival. This led Hanabi to ask what he meant, and Naruto explained only cursorily before turning the subject back to Hinata. He seemed bound and determined to let her get the most credit for everything that had happened in the Land of Waves; Gaara would have been pleased, if he'd been paying attention.

Instead, he closed his eyes and sank into himself. He had a headache; actually, he had a _body-ache. _Ever since getting back to Konoha, he'd felt…little sharp needles of pain pricking at his mind, from every edge and crevice, like his head was a pincushion belonging to a particularly vindictive spinster. He couldn't remember what he'd done, how Gatou and his men had been defeated. He couldn't remember why, when he'd regained consciousness, he had smelled like blood. He'd had to be told.

He couldn't clearly remember Haku, or Zabuza. Everything was a haze, like the mists had sapped away all clarity from his memories and kept it there, trapped, waiting for him to try recollecting it, so that he'd get lost in the forests and never find his way out again.

_It _had taken him. That was the only answer. _It _had taken control, and killed those men. All of Gatou's men, all of his henchmen and sellswords and bodyguards; _it _had cursed them, and supped on their blood and bones and haunted nightmares. Gaara felt a shudder run down his spine; he felt cold.

But the frightening part was that underneath that cold was the heat of adrenaline.

Gaara wasn't frightened of the demon itself…so much as the fact that when he thought of the men he had killed while under the demon's thrall, he felt not worry, or guilt, or nausea…

But excitement.

* * *

"Yashamaru."

"Sir."

With most people, the Fourth Kazekage took his meetings behind a curtain. People thought it was to prevent anyone from learning his identity, so paranoid and secretive was he. He never said anything to support or denounce the claim. The leader of the Hidden Sand, like so many shinobi before him, reveled in secrecy and misdirection. Yashamaru thought it had more to do with the fact that he didn't think his people had the right to look upon him.

But with Yashamaru, he took his meetings outside, in the wind and dust. And sand. Always…the sand.

"I am going to be using Baki during the exams," he said, and Yashamaru raised an eyebrow. "He has…more pertinent matters to which I want him to attend. Nonetheless, the children will need supervision." The way he said the word children, one might have thought the Kazekage was talking about insect larvae or diseased rats. "You will go in his stead."

Yashamaru had requested that he be the one to lead his niece and nephew when they graduated and joined the ranks as genin; the Kazekage had quite fervently denied him. It seemed strange, Yashamaru thought, that a change of heart would come so late. The young man who looked so much like his sister—the woman who had birthed the most terrifying weapon the Hidden Sand had ever lost—looked thoroughly confused. "Sir?"

"I don't trust them to…behave themselves," the Fourth muttered. "The alliance was always tenuous. If we're not careful, the leaves will…start to shake. I expect you to keep those three in line. I also want you to take note of the…political climate in the village at large."

"Not that I don't appreciate the opportunity, Kazekage-sama, but…why _me?"_

The Fourth's dark-ringed eyes, the only part of his face that was visible, locked onto his brother-in-law's face. "There is a second objective that I need completed, and you are best suited to the task." At the strange look on Yashamaru's face—was it distrust?—he elaborated: "It concerns Gaara."

Yashamaru's eyes widened slightly. "You haven't spoken of Gaara in years, sir. I'd begun to think you'd forgotten his name."

It was a strange attempt at humor, and one that didn't exactly go over well. Yashamaru mused that his leader was more than a little disgusted by his subject's odd little joke. He'd never been much for frivolous small-talk; Yashamaru had had reason to wonder, for any number of years, why his beloved sister had agreed to marry him. Or, rather, why she had seemed to actually love the man. Political marriages were no strange occurrence in the Hidden Sand, but the honest affection that Karura—sweet Karura—had held for her husband most certainly _had _been.

Yashamaru thought he rather hated this man, now that he thought about it.

"I want to know how his…temperament has changed. I want to know how the Hidden Leaf has influenced him. Most importantly, Yashamaru, I want to know if he's…truly stabilized."

Suddenly Yashamaru understood. "You never intended for the transfer to be permanent."

There was no answer. They walked through the dust-strewn streets, with the harsh and cutting winds slicing at their faces, in silence. Once more, Yashamaru's thoughts turned to his sister, and he thought that she would have been quite pleased at how Gaara seemed to have turned out. He had kept tabs on his youngest nephew since his defection to the Hidden Leaf and, by all accounts, he had grown into a fine shinobi with a glowing reputation. The children to whom he had grown so attached when they'd visited—the blond boy with the whiskers, and the girl with grey eyes—had become his teammates, and they were being trained by the Copy Ninja, of all people.

"He's spent the past six years in Konoha, sir. I've heard the reports, same as you have. The Hidden Leaf has been good to him, which is more than I can say for most of _us._ The likelihood of his coming back to us is…almost nil. Surely you know that. What's the point?"

He hadn't wanted bitterness to seep into his voice, but he couldn't help it. Thinking back on how his own people had treated the son of their commander, how his people had spat upon the memory of his sister by fearing and outright hating her child—the child for whom she had died—without even the faintest hint of shame…

He could feel his blood catch fire, and suddenly felt an irrational urge to attack the man standing next to him.

It was only Karura's face, so soft and angelic in his mind's eye, that stopped him.

Her's…and Gaara's.

The Fourth Kazekage had a very particular habit of looking at people as though he intended to bite their heads off. "Convince him to return, Yashamaru. He loves you." The man sounded like he hadn't the faintest clue _why, _and Yashamaru very nearly spat in his face. "He'll want to come back to you."

"He is loved in the Leaf. I am hardly a fair trade. If he refuses?"

Again, a bout of silence.

"If he refuses…" the Kazekage's tone turned dismissive, "…get rid of him."


	33. 3, 2: Exercises

_**For those of you who will read this multiple times, I apologize. Feel free to ignore this if you've already seen it, and move on to the chapter.**_

_**Here in my neck of the woods, it is now the 9**__**th**__** day of February, in the year 2012. Ten years ago today, I came across Fanfiction-dot-Net. I proceeded to publish "Lonely, Broken Hero," the first story I wrote that ever felt complete. It was inspired by a song, written for the Square-Enix game "Chrono Trigger," and marked the beginning of a lifelong passion.**_

_**Since February 9**__**th**__**, 2002, I have had the honor of meeting some of the greatest people on earth. These people have given me 5,885 reviews, thousands of Favorites, and over 1.8 million hits across 40 projects. These people have supported me, cheered for me, informed me, criticized me, and helped me embark on some of the most memorable journeys of my life. I never would have made it without them.**_

_**To celebrate this illustrious anniversary, and to thank you for being the best audience an author could ever ask for, I have written extra chapters for each of my 8 ongoing projects. I present them to you now, and humble myself before you. Were it not for you, these stories never would have come into being, or lasted nearly as long as they have.**_

_**Thank you again. You all have changed my life.**_

_**Here's to another decade of adventure and exploration.**_

_**Enjoy.**_

* * *

Perhaps inspired by various other ninja he had seen around the village, Naruto had unwound his headband and retied it so that it wrapped all the way around his head, covering his hair. His too-bright jacket was open, revealing a black undershirt. As he approached the academy, he walked with a certain swagger that made Iruka chuckle. Not that confidence was anything new for Uzumaki Naruto; he wore it like armor. But today, Iruka reflected, was one of the few days he could recall when that confidence felt natural. The blond wasn't putting up a front, or trying to get back at anyone; he was honestly, unabashedly pleased with himself.

Gaara, dressed all in black as he always was—black pants tucked into bandaged shins and a black shirt tucked into the pants—seemed not to notice the fact that his compatriot was even _more _full of himself than usual. Hinata, for her part, was all aglow. Though she, like Gaara, had opted not to change her attire to mark the occasion, she walked straighter, her back straight and her shoulders back; her smile was bright and lovely, and not at all sheepish.

It seemed Kakashi was right: as dangerous as their latest mission was, it _had _been good for them. Feeling that he was more than sheepish enough to make up for Hinata's newfound confidence, Iruka's smile widened as his face grew warm, and he stepped up to meet his former students. "Well, now, here are some familiar faces," he declared. "The heroes of the Waves, their own selves. You humble me, presenting yourselves to me on this fine day."

Naruto saluted. "Yo! What's up, Sensei?"

Hinata bowed. "What did you want to speak to us about?" she asked.

Gaara simply inclined his head.

"Kakashi-san asked me to take over your training for today," Iruka said. "I guess he has some…prior engagements."

"Probably a new one of those books came out," Naruto muttered. "He's always reading those stupid things. Sometimes I wonder if he goes to _sleep _with one of 'em in his hand. You know, that wouldn't surprise me, really. Prob'ly sleeps with that mask on, too."

Iruka only managed the most cursory of chuckles, because he thought the blond had a point. A new book probably _was _the reason Kakashi had lit out for the territories today. But Iruka dared to say that when Hatake Kakashi didn't want to be found, absolutely no one would be able to find him. Not him, not the Hokage, not every ANBU soldier in the known shinobi world. There wasn't any point in thinking about why he was gone. There was no way they were going to get him back, anyway.

"So what's on the table today?" Naruto asked, clearly unconcerned about his commander's less-than-relevant ventures. "We gonna go out and break into a thieves' den? Slay a dragon? Fix a fence? Whatcha got for us, Iruka-sensei?"

"Well, a couple of my students are having some trouble with the basics," Iruka said, "and I thought they would benefit from some extra practice." Naruto seemed to deflate with each word, but Hinata and Gaara both looked interested. "I thought we would make the best of it. For today, you three will be the teachers. I'll supervise, but the lesson plan will be yours. Give me a moment, and I'll introduce you to your students."

He stepped into the building.

"Private tutoring?" Naruto asked no one in particular. "Don't they have _people _for that?"

"Yes," Gaara said. "They have genin."

"Ngh. Still. There's gotta be a better fit for my…particular skills than teaching a coupl'a snots. And before you say anything," Naruto added hotly, turning and pointing a finger at Hinata, "this here metal thing on my head says I'm _not _a snot no more. So I don't wanna hear none o' your lip, Missy." He tapped his headband, little metallic _clinks _accentuating his words.

Hinata held up both hands. "Yes, sir." She was grinning.

Sand began creeping along through the grass. Gaara had one hand out, palm facing the ground, looking thoughtful. He twitched his fingers, and the snake of dust and gravel rose up in a rope until it touched his palm. He said, "After our last mission, we should be thankful to have work this mundane. Perhaps it's boring to elite Hokage candidates, but it serves well to refresh us mere mortals with missions that _don't _involve the possibility of dying horribly."

Naruto snorted. "What a load of malarkey. Listen here: if you want to amount to anything, you've gotta _push _yourself. None of this wishy-washy, 'be grateful you aren't dying' junk. That's loser talk, is what it is. Nobody on _my _team talks loser talk."

"My apologies, sir," Gaara said, looking bored as he turned his rope of sand into a sculpture of a tree. "I might have known better than to offend you so." The tree flowed silently into a mountain. "Hinata, you were saying something about your father this morning, before we came here."

"Oh!" Hinata's grin, already too vibrant to be normal for her, grew wider. "Otousama said that he heard about the Land of Waves! He said Kakashi-sensei gave him a report when we came back!"

The mountain mutated into a faceless human figure. "And what did he say?"

"He said my training's been working!" She looked positively radiant. Naruto raised an eyebrow at Gaara, and silently they both decided not to mention that it was rather sad to be so ecstatic over backhanded praise. The truly sad part was that it _was _an improvement. Hyuuga Hiashi was tight-lipped in the best of circumstances; with his firstborn, he was positively mute. That the man had taken the time to comment on Hinata's improvement at all told the two boys the same thing:

Hatake Kakashi was entirely too slippery for his own good.

Hinata continued to talk, and neither of her teammates had the gall to stop her; she was on a roll. Gaara's sand statue continued to shift and swirl, growing ever more elaborate with each pass. Naruto began making requests—a lizard, an eagle, Old Man Hokage wearing a dress—and it seemed like an hour had passed before Iruka returned to them.

Sarutobi Konohamaru and Hyuuga Hanabi followed along behind him.

"Say hello to your new tutors," Iruka said. "I don't believe we need bother with the introductions."

Hinata looked fit to burst, and Gaara smiled.

But Naruto…well, suffice it to say, the look on his face wasn't quite _evil._

But it was dangerously close.

"Nah," he almost purred. "I think we're good, Sensei." There was a dangerous, gleeful glint in his eyes. "When do we start?"

* * *

Far from being intimidated by the thoroughly mad-scientist aura surrounding Uzumaki Naruto at the idea of tormenting the grandson of the Hokage for the sake of his "education," Konohamaru seemed thoroughly excited.

"Bring it on!" he cried, clenching his fists and grinning right back at his mentor. "Let's do it! Show me the kinda moves you use on an S-class criminal!"

Naruto chuckled, but Gaara flinched rather violently. He didn't say anything, but noticed that Iruka was eyeing him warily. He straightened up, composed himself, and said, "Hold on. We'll start simple. Konohamaru, Hanabi, you two stretch and do a few warm-up laps around the academy while we figure out how best to proceed."

Hanabi bowed. "Yes, sir," she said.

Konohamaru seemed about to complain, but the young Hyuuga gave him a look, gestured, and began stretching, preparing to run. The boy sighed heavily, rolled his eyes, said, "Women," and set about emulating her.

Once they were off, and around the other side of the building, Hinata approached her former teacher. "How are they progressing, Sensei?"

"Decently well," Iruka said. "It wasn't _my _idea, actually, to find special tutoring for them. But Konohamaru-kun's aim needs improvement, and Hanabi-chan seems…stiff. Her movements, her formations. They're a bit rigid. We need to figure out how to loosen her up a bit, or she's liable to get injured."

"They don't need help cloning themselves, do they?" Naruto asked, suddenly unsure of himself. "'Cuz I been trying, and it…still don't frickin' work."

Iruka laughed. "Don't worry, Naruto. That shouldn't come up. Besides, if you're beating your head against a wall trying to fix your weaknesses, to the point that you neglect your strengths…it really doesn't help anyone. I think you're better off sticking to shadow clones, personally. It's a rare skill you have, Naruto, and you're better off honing it, rather than a facsimile."

Naruto grinned again. "Cool. I'm game for that. Okay, so we gotta work on Hanabi's _fluidity." _He wiggled his eyebrows impressively, as though he'd just used a thoroughly scientific term that none of the others knew. "And Konohamaru can't hit a barn with a shovel. So…how we gonna swing this, guys?"

"Hinata," Gaara said, "you use the same style that Hanabi does. You would probably be best to help her. And Naruto, owing to…certain hobbies, your aim has always been impeccable." He was, of course, referring to the days during which Naruto spent his free time flinging paint buckets at every landmark in the village; not just the Hokage monument, but statues, buildings, even grave markers. To say nothing of the _people _he'd targeted. "So you should probably help Konohamaru."

"So what're _you _gonna do, fearless leader?" Naruto wondered.

Gaara chuckled. "Keep them on their toes."

Sand began creeping down the redhead's arms, snaking around him and disappearing into his fists. Naruto grinned devilishly again, and Hinata nodded. Iruka stepped back and leaned against a wall to watch how things would unfold, marveling at how little it seemed he would have to do in order to move this along.

They really did know how to work together.

* * *

Naruto opted to play a game he called "Nab the Ninja," in which he sent himself and a multitude of shadow clones all throughout the academy grounds and popped up randomly, shouting taunts at Konohamaru before slipping into hiding behind rocks, trees, buildings, and even his teammates, expecting the younger boy to hit him with…pretty much anything.

The grandson of the Hokage, not about to be outdone by the loudest shinobi in Konoha's history, gritted his teeth and vowed that he would, indeed, nab the ninja if it took him all day long to do it.

Hinata set her sister through a series of drills, lecturing her on the history of their family's particular fighting style. The point was not to rely on force in any form, she said. A stiff arm, a rigid leg, a taut frame; these things were particularly dangerous for a user of the Gentle Fist, and the idea was to never stay in one position, but to move continuously. The muscles had to be loose, able to move with the faintest twitch of instinct; a Hyuuga's eyes, trained to catch the barest movement and pinprick of weakness, was useless if that Hyuuga's body couldn't keep up.

Iruka was sure that Hanabi had heard these sermons before, but she stood rapt, soaking in her sister's every word as if it were gospel. He thought idly that there was a bond between the two Hyuuga sisters that hadn't had much time to formulate. They both seemed to jump at any chance to interact with each other, such that even the most mind-numbing of lectures was precious; it also probably had to do with the fact that Hinata explained things with a tone of voice and body language that suggested calm accommodation, rather than hostile adherence to tradition. She was unlike any other member of her family.

It was a shame that Hiashi and the clan's elders seemed to consider this a detriment.

Hanabi slid into her style's very particular stance, and she watched Hinata slip through a series of slow, sinuous movements that seemed more like a dance than a combat maneuver. Hinata instructed her sister to recreate the sequence. The young Hyuuga's face screwed up in absolute concentration, and Hinata gave her a light slap against the back of the head.

"Stay loose," she instructed, and Iruka was only slightly surprised at the authority he heard in that voice. Hanabi, looking surprised but not unpleased, nodded. She closed her eyes and took several deep breaths.

"Ha!"

A shuriken came _whooshing _past Iruka's left ear and _thunked _into the outer wall of the academy. The young chuunin turned to see Naruto hunkered behind him, his usual toothy grin plastered on his face. "You were right, Sensei," the blond genin whispered. "This is almost too easy."

Then a knife careened with the side of Naruto's head, and the clone vanished with a puff of smoke. Konohamaru let out a whoop, throwing up his hands and laughing at his victory. At that moment, a figure of sand came swirling up behind him, and Konohamaru had to cease the little dance he'd started doing in order to avoid being flattened into the dirt by a gargantuan arm. "Hey!" the boy cried. "No fair!"

"I'm able to do it," Gaara said, from his vantage point a while off. "That makes it fair."

Konohamaru growled incoherently and went rushing to tackle his new target.

The sun was low in the sky when Iruka called an end to the day's training.

"All right, everyone," he said. "That's enough for now. Good work." Hinata and Hanabi came walking up to him. Iruka noticed that Hanabi had a hand wrapped around the inside of her elder sister's elbow, and felt a pang when he realized that such a minor indication of affection was so rare and…unacceptable at home that she looked sheepish while doing it.

Hinata bowed. "Thank you, Sensei," she said. "Today was very…enlightening."

Iruka smiled. "Good. Well, Hanabi? How do you feel about it? Do you think you've improved at all?"

"Yes, sir," she said. A small smile rose on her thin lips.

"And what about you, Konohamaru?" Iruka called out, much more harshly, as Naruto came stumbling forward with the grandson of the Hokage clambering up on his shoulders and apparently attempting to gnaw off one of the blond's arms.

"The enemy's resorting to _low _tactics, sir!" Naruto snapped. "I can't fight like this!"

A giant's hand of sand rose up and plucked Konohamaru off of his perch. "Hey!" the boy squawked. "Unhand me! Heathen! Infidel! Do you know who I am? I'll have your head for this! Hey! _Hey! _Lemme go!"

Gaara had his arms crossed as he walked methodically toward the others. Konohamaru continued to thrash and rant as he dangled from the sand that held him fast. Gaara looked like he may as well have been in line at a grocery store. He said, "I think we could all do with a meal."

Naruto perked up. "Yeah! Hell, yeah!"

Konohamaru stopped moving. "Food?" he asked, perking up at once.

Iruka chuckled. "All right, all right. I guess you win. Let's go."

"I'll pay this time, Sensei," Hinata said. "I've been saving."

"No, no, it's fine," Iruka said. "You've all worked hard today. This was a request I made on behalf of the academy. I have to pay you for your time."

"It's okay, Sensei," Hinata said. "With all of us, it will be expensive."

"I'll tell you what. We'll split the bill, all right? How's that?"

Hinata nodded. "Okay!"

Iruka nodded, and gestured for his students to follow him. Gaara set Konohamaru down to walk with them, staying behind the others. He walked more slowly, and Iruka noticed rather quickly—in fact, he'd seen it as soon as Gaara had come up to him that morning—that the red-haired jinchuuriki looked even more tired than he usually did. The prominent dark marks around his eyes were darker than usual, the eyes themselves bloodshot. Whenever he thought no one was looking, Gaara's mouth twisted into a nervous, almost angry frown.

Iruka fell into step beside the former sand-nin.

"Something's on your mind," he said. It wasn't a question.

Gaara nodded, opting not to hide behind a façade. "At the end," he said. "When Gatou's men were…surrounding us."

"Oi!" Naruto called back. "Hurry up, Nancy! They'll be closed soon!"

"What about it?" Iruka asked.

Gaara was watching Naruto.

"…Nothing. Forget I mentioned it."

And he refused to say another word.

* * *

_**I mentioned before that I would be going in a different direction before the Chuunin Exams began. Here stands clearest proof of that. I had a much easier time writing this than any of the previous chapters in the last couple years, and I think it came out better for it. Here's hoping that you agree.**_

_**I mentioned before that I enjoy the opportunity to explore characters that aren't necessarily important to canon, and this chapter is, of course, no exception. I've long been of the opinion that the best way to learn is to teach (I'd better, as I plan to teach for a living), and so this training exercise—reminiscent of a previous chapter in "What it Takes"—was part of my attempt at showcasing that.**_

_**I hope that you found it enjoyable.**_

_**See you next time, folks.**_


	34. 3, 3: Politics

_**Apologies; I intended to have this up much earlier than now, but real life has a way of laughing at my plans. This chapter was something of an experiment, and posed some unique challenges.**_

_** This chapter is a bit shorter than usual, but I beg patience. There is a distinct reason for that.**_

_** I have long been enamored of the idea of writing without the use of narrative. That is to say, writing a story or scene in a manner roughly analogous to a play without stage directions.**_

_** I am fascinated by dialogue-only scenes, and have tried my hand at them before.**_

_** This is the first time that I have written a full chapter that way.**_

_** I hope that you enjoy this departure from the norm.**_

_** Let's begin.**_

* * *

"Thank you for answering my call so promptly. Please, sit. Now, it is my understanding that you and your team have just returned from an outlying farming community to the east, is that correct?"

"Yes, sir."

"To whom did you report when you arrived?"

"The mayor. A man called Dai."

"It says here that your mission was to use whatever disciplines necessary to assist this village in surviving through an outbreak of sickness. How did you begin?"

"Uzumaki Naruto used his shadow clones, under the supervision of a few selected farmers, to tend the fields. Hyuuga Hinata and the students allotted to her for this mission reported to the resident physician and began working with those already afflicted. I led the remaining able-bodied men and women, now freed from work, in patrolling the borders of the village so as to stave off outside threats."

"Did you believe outside threats to be a concern?"

"Dai told us, before we began, that bandits had set their sights on his village. I was determined to remove such miscreants from the equation. Our orders were broad enough that I felt it within the purview of the mission."

"How did you begin?"

"I set them through rudimentary weapons training. Some were proficient in archery. I set these individuals at strategic points, on higher ground particularly, to serve as scouts. I procured weapons where I could find them for the others, and endeavored to show them how to defend themselves."

"Are you proficient with close-quarters combat?"

"I have been trained by both Hatake Kakashi and Maito Gai in the use of such weapons."

"Mm. Very well. How well did the villagers perform under your instruction?"

"Well enough, considering the circumstances. I suggested to Dai that he should employ the help of an enlisted instructor to further their training, and perhaps organize his people into a legitimate militia."

"Once the villagers were trained, what did you do?"

"I used specialized techniques to patrol the perimeter."

"Would you be willing to demonstrate these techniques for our archivist once this meeting is concluded?"

"Of course."

"Did these bandits ever attempt to enter the village?"

"A number of times."

"What casualties, on either side?"

"None."

"…None at all?"

"No, sir. At least, none due to outside influences."

"But there were _other_ casualties?"

"Some of the more severe patients succumbed to sickness."

"What did you manage to do in order to assist with this epidemic?"

"On the first day, Hinata had and Yamanaka Ino set out to look for a new supply of herbs. I understand that these herbs are most delicate, and must be gathered carefully. The other students assisted the physician. After enough herbs were collected, they were steeped in water and served to the patients as tea. This helped with some of the younger, healthier patients, but more desperate measures were required for some of the others."

"What were these measures?"

"I don't know specifics, though I know that they were outlined in Hinata's report. I believe it involved heavy use of smoke, poultices, and lancing sores. The treatment was effective, but painful."

"From the sound of it, the mission should have been a success. You had everything in order. So why is it that you were forced to retreat?"

"…Yes. Well…"

"Pardon? Speak up."

"It…seems that not all the villagers were particularly pleased with Hinata's effectiveness. One man in particular was especially vocal. As I recall, he claimed that the Hidden Leaf had offered help but sent over children. Charlatans, at that. This man's wife, I am given to understand, was one of the patients under Hinata's care who…succumbed."

"What did this man do?"

"At first, nothing. Just…came into the infirmary, took up her body, and left. But that following day, he had apparently worked up his courage, because he came back. Stormed into the tent and started shouting at her."

"At Hyuuga Hinata, you mean."

"Yes."

"I see. Continue."

"Haruno Sakura came to Hinata's defense. Ino, as well. The remaining students, being a good deal younger, were afraid to intervene. Hinata called off the others and approached the man. She asked him to please refrain from involving the others. If he had something he wished to say to her, then please tell it to her directly. The other patients need not hear it."

"Mm. What was the response?"

"He got louder. More belligerent. Slapped her across the face. Threatened to strangle her, I believe. Naruto and I caught wind of the problem, and came to our teammate's aid. Things…got out of control."

"And why was this?"

"…When the man made to strike Hinata again, Naruto…stopped him."

"And you? You did not deem it appropriate to stop Naruto from…ah…it says here, 'coming within moments of killing' this man?"

"I stopped Naruto from killing him outright."

"And you believed that to be the proper way to handle the situation?"

"If you know of a better way to handle a man willing to attack a field medic in the middle of an infirmary, a field medic who is giving her time and risking her health free of charge—it will be noted in your report there that we never intended to accept payment for this mission—I should be very interested to hear it."

"…That will be all."

* * *

"Uzumaki Naruto?"

"Nope. Got the wrong guy. You're looking for the _other _blond kid with whiskers. What is it?"

"If you have a moment, there is something we must discuss with you."

"You'd discuss it with me even if I told you I _didn't _have a moment. What is it?"

"May we come inside?"

"Fine. Whatever'll get you outta my hair sooner. Pull up a chair, help yourself to some bad milk. Now whaddaya want?"

"You know why we are here, I trust."

"You know, this is the reason I don't like dealing with you guys. Yeah. I know why you're here. I've also asked you three times to _come out with it. _This is the same square dance we kept going through when I was at the academy. You can't ever just tell me what the problem is. You hafta drag it out of me. Well, I'm done playing games. If you've got something you want to ask me, or tell me, or whatever, then do it. Otherwise, get out."

"Do you realize the implications of your latest mission, Naruto? Do you understand what you've done?"

"Yeah. I wasted my time helping out a bunch of assholes looking for a scapegoat."

"When you are on a mission, you are acting as a representative of the Hidden Leaf. You cannot act in your own self-interest."

"I _wasn't. _I was acting in the interest of keeping a teammate alive."

"Hyuuga-sama's life was not in danger."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I forgot you were there, and I wasn't. Tell me how it _really _happened?"

"You are all trained shinobi. The man who attacked Hyuuga-sama was a civilian."

"Yeah, a six-foot-nine civilian with muscles bigger around than my head. It's real easy to say a ninja should be able to handle themselves without hurting civilians, 'cuz they're so _untrained _or whatever, but you know what? Screw that action. That guy was _huge. _And I wasn't gonna take any risks."

"Did Hyuuga-sama ask for help?"

"Do you care? Look, I already gave my report, a'right? Either arrest me or back off. I'm not apologizing."

"Don't joke about this."

"You think I'm joking? I don't put up with bullying. Ever. I don't care if Hinata could'a defended herself. I know better'n most of you clowns that she _could. _That's not the point. The point is, you fuck with one of us, you fuck with all of us. The point is, that guy was threatening one of our own. _Our family. _I don't give a shit if he was grieving or venting. He crossed a line, I threw him back behind it. And if anybody's got a problem with that, bring it on."

"…You're serious."

"Uh, _duh. _We done here? I got laundry to do."

* * *

"Pardon the intrusion, Hyuuga-sama. I am sure that it has been brought to your attention that your eldest daughter's latest mission was met with…concern. You are aware of the actions of one Uzumaki Naruto?"

"I would be grossly ignorant to be unaware of that one's _actions."_

"…Yes. Of course. I meant no disrespect, sir. Well, as your daughter was implicated in the…incident, the council deemed it prudent to ask after your official statement. It's…protocol. We have to make a final decision regarding whether he is…fit to remain active."

"I was under the apparently mistaken impression that the Hokage has already made a decision. I admit confusion as to why I am being dragged back into this matter. My daughter has given an official report. Her teammates have given official reports. Her commanding officer has given an official report. The _mayor _of the village who requested our assistance has made a statement. If you are here so that your superiors may continue to stall a verdict, I am uninterested. Leave my compound."

"Ah…sir…you must understand! This is a very serious situation!"

"I agree. And for the first time in his history, it seems to me that Uzumaki Naruto has acted _correctly."_

"…Hyuuga-sama? He nearly _killed _a civilian."

"A civilian who threatened the life of a Hyuuga, and who sabotaged a training exercise for a number of our students. A civilian who, in a drunken show of bravado, may well have threatened the lives of any number of his own countrymen. Am I to show concern for this man?"

"Be that as it may, Hyuuga-sama, Uzumaki Naruto's actions are…are…blatantly irresponsible!"

"Blatantly, is it? Then you have your answer. Leave, so that I may return to _important _matters."

"Sir!"

"Listen to me, and listen carefully. I currently infer by your indignant tone and insistence on drawing out this discussion that you would have preferred that Uzumaki Naruto _not _act as he did. In which case, my daughter's life, which I _believe _is valuable to this village, would have been needlessly jeopardized. Is _that _what you wish for me to take from this conversation? If it is, then I am finished asking you to leave. I will have you escorted out, forcefully if I must."

"…I…I-I…"

"The local government of this village has been searching for a reason to vilify Uzumaki Naruto ever since Umino Iruka had the temerity to graduate him. I am uninterested. If a day comes when he truly becomes a danger, then I leave it to that government to dispose of him. If you expect me to engage in _this _farce, however, I am afraid that I must disappoint you. Come back to me when he presents a _real _problem."

"Ah…Hyuuga-sama…wai—"

"This conversation is over."


	35. 3, 4: Betrayal

_**I'd first like to thank everyone for the feedback on my experimental chapter last time. For those who enjoyed it, I'm very pleased to hear it. I had fun writing it, and I think it turned out rather well. For those who were…less than fond of the format, don't worry. It was an exercise, and I don't intend to use that method extensively. In fact, I very much doubt I will be using it again in this story.**_

_**I have always thought of "No Longer Alone" being split into three parts. For the past few chapters, I have been feeling out various ways of handling the narrative, and I believe that I have uncovered the path toward resolution. This is to say that once this arc is complete (by which, of course, I refer to the Chuunin Exams), this story will end.**_

_**I will be writing this story from now on with the specific aim of addressing loose ends and ensuring that everything moves toward a logical and satisfying conclusion. I've been writing this tale for many years now, and it was never my intention to follow the manga through all 500+ chapters. The Chuunin Exams arc marks the pinnacle of my enjoyment of this series, ad so it feels right that I use it as a final springboard.**_

_**I don't know how long it will take me to write out this arc, but this is it, folks. We're approaching the endgame. It's not imminent, no, but it's on the horizon.**_

_**So, let's begin.**_

* * *

"Are you feeling all right, Naruto-kun?"

The obvious answer, considering Naruto was mercilessly pummeling a lamp-post, should have been no. The sad fact of the matter was that this was nothing new for the young jinchuuriki, who often made training regimens out of any random activity that happened to strike his fancy. He had been known to hold impromptu triathlons on the way home from grocery shopping. He'd turned folding laundry into a sport, and dish-washing into a biweekly exercise in olfactory endurance.

As much as Hinata admired her teammate's determination to better himself—indeed, she often depended on it—sometimes she very seriously worried for Naruto's health. She still remembered what had happened the time he'd decided to test how long he could hold his breath by tying rocks to his feet and jumping into a lake.

"…Sure," Naruto huffed. _Ping, ping! _"Why do you…" _Ping! _"…ask?"

"Oh…no reason." Hinata offered a strange little smile and tilted her head. Either she was doing a worse job than usual of hiding her apprehension, or Naruto was getting better at reading through the facades, because he stopped his one-sided duel and gave her an odd look.

"What's up?"

"It's just…well. I don't know. You've been quiet. Ever since…we got back."

"Oh." Naruto's face fell. "That. Hey, uh…y'know. Didn't expect things to go down like that. You aren't…like…mad at us, are ya?"

"What?"

"For, you know, steppin' in like that."

"Oh! No! Not at all! Does it…bother _you?"_

Naruto frowned. "I dunno, really. Y'know…okay, so maybe I'm kinda distracted or whatever. Here's the thing, right? It was a while ago that we learned about me and my…thing." He gestured vaguely at his stomach. "The fox…or whatever the hell it is."

"…Yes?"

Naruto started walking, and Hinata fell into step beside him. "So, everybody knows about me, right? I mean, like, what went on. And I was s'posed to be the only one to stay in the dark about it. Sure, other kids weren't really supposed to find out, either, I guess. You didn't know, did you?"

"No." Hinata shook her head.

"So, like, what's that accomplish? I mean, were they scared I'd, what, snap if I found out? Go nuts and make the whole village explode or whatever?" Naruto usually made a habit of using grand, sweeping hand gestures when he talked. Conversation, for him, was more of a performance than anything else. This time, his arms lay flat at his sides, his hands stuffed into his pockets. "Why would that happen? It's not like anybody made much of an effort to make me _comfortable _or anything. They spent my whole frickin' life treating me like the King of the Cockroaches or something. You'd think if they were trying to stop me from goin' crazy, they'd've at least _tried _to fake being nice. Right?"

Hinata didn't know. She shrugged. "I'm not sure, Naruto-kun." Then she looked self-conscious, blushed slightly, and said, "I'm sorry."

"Huh?" Naruto's expression shifted from pensive and aggravated to curious. "What for?"

The Hyuuga heiress grinned. "Never mind."

* * *

"Good day to you, my lovely students." Kakashi looked so bored that he was nearly unconscious; the three genin under his command might have been concerned if this were anything out of the ordinary. The silver-haired jounin pocketed his book and crossed his arms. "You won't be going on any missions for a while."

Naruto gawped at the man. "You're _kidding, _right? Is this about that _freaking _civilian again?"

Kakashi held up his hands in a placating gesture. "No, no. Nothing about that. Certainly, the council is…ah…concerned, but you aren't on probation. I've made the decision to pull you from the active roster myself. In order to ensure that you are prepared for what we have…planned for you in the future, I think it's time that we went back to training."

Naruto looked suspicious. "What kind of training? Sensitivity training? Keeping our emotions in check? Standing aside and letting people do whatever the hell they want because it's _out of our hands? _Gimme a break, Sensei."

"No." There was a dark sort of gleam in Kakashi's eye. "So far in your career, I have hammered home the idea that you must fight as a unit. You must forge a bond deeper than blood. You must be instinctive. So far, you have done well. I am pleased with your progress. But…now the time comes to test your versatility."

Gaara frowned thoughtfully. "Oh?"

Kakashi nodded. "We'll start slow. I have…other plans in mind for later, but for right now, we'll make it simple. I want you to play to your respective strengths. I am not going to deceive you, like I did with the bells. This time, I will tell you explicitly what I want you to do."

The expectant look on Naruto's face said it all for him: _Okay. So tell us already._

Kakashi seemed amused by this. He stretched out the silence for a while longer, purely for dramatic effect, before he said, "I want you to turn on each other."

Stunned silence.

"…What?"

"We are ninja. What do ninja do? We kill. Obviously, I'm not going to have you kill each other; that would be wasteful. So, I'll settle for the next best thing. I want the three of you to prove to me which of you is the superior warrior. Fight. Bleed. Win. Use every bit of knowledge you have of your fellows' techniques and strategies, and exploit them."

Hinata looked betrayed; Naruto was stunned.

The only one who looked unsurprised…unsurprisingly…was Gaara.

Kakashi almost whispered, "Begin."

* * *

"Normally, I would wait until the envoys from the other villages arrived in full before holding this meeting." Sarutobi scanned his jounin instructors like he intended to send them off to war. Some of them wondered if that was precisely what he was going to do. "However, I have received…intelligence that concerns me. Therefore, I will ask you now, so that more specific preparations can be made. The Chuunin-Rank Eligibility Examinations are set to begin within the month. Therefore, I would like to ask each of you here: of your genin squads, are there any candidates you would like to present to me?"

Some of the jounin stepped forward immediately, offering up names of students who had taken the exam before, but hadn't made the cut. Maito Gai, who had held his students back the previous year, offered up all three names, confident that they now had the proper experience to excel.

Most every set of eyes were centered on the three new instructors, however: Sarutobi Asuma, Yuuhi Kurenai, and Hatake Kakashi. Rookie genin were almost never submitted for consideration. Yet both Asuma and Kurenai immediately recommended each of their subordinates.

Kakashi was last.

He looked at the Hokage as though to ask, _Are you seriously asking me this question? _He eventually sighed and stepped forward. "Considering their performance thus far under my command, I am confident that Uzumaki Naruto, Sabaku no Gaara, and Hyuuga Hinata possess the necessary skills and experience to take part in this examination."

The matter was closed with little fanfare. As Kakashi was preparing to leave, the Hokage called him back. "Kakashi. Hold on a moment. Iruka, you as well. I would like to speak with you."

Both turned to face their commander, and were beckoned to follow him.

* * *

The face that met Kakashi and Iruka in the Hokage's private offices was a familiar, though unexpected one. Yashamaru, celebrated medic for the Hidden Sand, bowed deeply as they entered. "It is a pleasure to see you both again," he said, with a sincerity that was disarming. "Hokage-sama, I thank you for allowing me to meet with you all."

Sarutobi waved dismissively. "Of course. Now…tell these two men what you have reported to me."

Yashamaru drew in a deep breath. "…I am a dutiful guardian of my village. Understand, gentlemen, that I have accepted missions on behalf of my commander that I would not have otherwise completed on pain of death. I was raised to believe that there was no greater purpose for a shinobi than to carry out the mission, regardless of personal feelings and doctrines."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow. Iruka frowned.

"So…it is with great difficulty that I come to you today, in direct defiance of the Kazekage's wishes, and implore that you assist me."

Sarutobi gestured for them all to sit down. They did so.

"What is it you need us to help you with?" Iruka asked.

"I ask only that you do what you have already done. Both of you. I wish for you to protect my nephew."

"Gaara?" Iruka asked. "This is…of course it's about Gaara."

Yashamaru nodded. "Yes." He took another deep breath. "I was tasked with coming here, to the Hidden Leaf, as a representative of the Hidden Sand during the upcoming Chuunin Examinations. The Kazekage tasked me with determining just how loyal to your cause and your people Gaara had become. He had designs of my convincing Gaara to return home. And…if I could not convince him…to rid the Hidden Sand of the threat caused by his continued existence."

Iruka drew in a sharp breath.

Kakashi scowled beneath his mask. "Continue."

"You must understand," the young medic nearly pleaded, "I did not _want _to carry out this mission. But…it was given to me. I had fully intended to do what my commander had ordered me to do. I asked for, and received, permission to leave ahead of everyone else, so that I could make proper preparations for the students from our village currently scheduled to attend the exam. While I was on my way, I…heard rumors. Idle talk, I thought. But I realized that what I was hearing was…war stories about my nephew. I passed a small farming village, in Wave territory? Talk of Gaara and his team was…well, to say that he was celebrated in that community would be a criminal understatement."

Iruka smirked, looking rather proud of his former student.

Kakashi, and the Hokage, remained stone-faced.

"You, here in the Leaf, have done something that my country never could. You've done what my sister, Gaara's mother, dreamed and prayed for, in her final moments. You have made my youngest nephew into a hero. You have given him a chance to thrive." Yashamaru's eyes glistened with unshed tears. "…There is no way that I could…rip that away. I have decided that I will not perform either of the tasks set before me by the Kazekage. I am under no magnificent delusion that I am noble for doing so. I simply wish for Gaara to be safe, and permitted to make the choice on his own. I refuse to see him ripped away from his home. I refuse to see him killed for the crime of his birth."

There was a long, thick silence after this declaration. Yashamaru's face was flushed, his eyes wet but resolute. His jaw was set, his expression grim.

"This is a very serious situation we face today," Sarutobi said gravely, his voice a quiet rumble. "If what Yashamaru tells us is true, and I have little doubt that it is, then we face betrayal from a steadfast ally. None of us fully expected for this exchange to be fully permanent. But for the Kazekage to _kill _Gaara if he does not agree to return to the Hidden Sand is…disturbing. Gaara has been taught by the Leaf. He has been inducted as a shinobi by the Leaf. He has been led by the Leaf. He is one of us. I will not see one of our own murdered by an ally."

Iruka nodded. "Of course not."

Kakashi said, "It wouldn't matter if he had tried." He glanced sardonically at Yashamaru. "I know your history, Yashamaru, and your capabilities. What you may or may not understand, based on what you have heard, is that to make an enemy out of Gaara is to make an enemy out of Uzumaki Naruto, and Hyuuga Hinata. Of course, a ninja of your skill would have little trouble incapacitating Hinata, but…neither Naruto nor Gaara should ever be judged by the capabilities of their rank. You would die if you crossed them."

Yashamaru frowned, but he did not seem surprised to hear this.

"Regardless of Gaara's, or Naruto's, capacity for violence," Sarutobi said, "there remains the very serious problem of the Kazekage's stubbornness. If Yashamaru fails, he will send others. He will seek to have Gaara assassinated during the exam, if it comes to it. In short, gentlemen, we face war within our own borders. We must come to a decision as to…how we might avoid this."

"I'm of the general opinion that there is only one option available to us," Yashamaru said, "and here you will see the depth of my betrayal: your only recourse is to kill the Fourth Kazekage before he realizes I have deceived him."


	36. 3, 5: Reunion

_**I made a mistake in trying to orchestrate the Wave storyline so closely tied to canon. With the chuunin exams, which will begin with the next chapter, I've opted instead to use a different tactic. Canon will exist as a backdrop.**_

_**In the name of doing as I said I would (that is, ending the story with this storyline), I have been focused rather cleanly upon this project for a while now. So I will be updating more often than my usual schedule, up until the endgame. I would have more to show for my efforts, I daresay, except a family emergency interrupted this week and made it extremely hard to focus.**_

_**Nonetheless, I've put together the threads of the final plot, and I dearly hope that those of you who have followed this story for any length of time will appreciate it.**_

_**Enjoy.**_

* * *

Hinata's breath came in slow, wheezing, sobbing gasps. Blood trickled from a cut above her left eye, mingled with the sweat dripping off of her face and hair, and fell into the dirt as she stumbled to her knees.

She looked up. Naruto's back was a brick wall in front of her. He'd removed his jacket, revealing the sleeveless black shirt beneath, and the already-prominent muscles of his bare arms. His hair was dripping with sweat. Sand coated his body in swatches.

Gaara stood straight as a statue twenty feet away, arms crossed over his chest, eyes blazing. He looked like a specter of death itself, with sand swirling and cresting and rippling around his feet like faithful dogs.

"You're still protecting her!" Gaara snarled, his statuesque face breaking into a grimace. "What can you hope to accomplish with a fragmented goal?" He reached out one arm and thrust it sideways, and the sand responded in kind, slamming into Naruto's left side and sending him in a long arc through the air before he crumpled to the ground with a grunt. "She's not so frail that she needs a bodyguard! Certainly not one so grossly incompetent! On your feet!"

When Kakashi wasn't around—which, during days like this, was normal—Gaara took up the unofficial post of leader and teacher. Both of his teammates could tell at a glance that he was not in a normal mood right now; his commander's permission to vent his frustrations on a moving target (whether that target was a friend or not) seemed to have been just enough of a push to send him into a borderline-sadistic fury.

Both Naruto and Hinata had known, instinctively if not consciously, that their friend and partner was having to battle back his personal (literal) demons more often lately. His loss of control against Gatou had been like a sledgehammer against the walls he had built around the bijuu within himself, around the dark and sinister chakra running rampant through his body, and now the floodgates were cracking. They could spy it in his eyes.

Naruto's apparent solution, from the look of it, was to literally beat his friend back into shape. He launched himself at Gaara. No words, no responses, no cries of outrage or confusion. He simply _acted. _As Hinata collected herself, gingerly pressing the fingers of her left hand against her ribs, she kept her eyes downcast and simply listened to the pair of them.

It was like being at a construction site, with all the grunts and pangs and—explosions? Gaara continued to taunt and jeer, and that was something else that was odd. Gaara was usually rather soft-spoken, in keeping with his role as the straight man in his relationship with the blond-haired bundle of live wires he called his best friend. But he always grew more and more talkative, the angrier he got. Hinata didn't know what, specifically, he was angry _about._ She had her guesses, but she'd learned over the years that the two boys with whom she now shared her life—working and social both—did not fall into anything resembling a normal paradigm. Guesswork meant very, _very _little.

She eventually managed to push herself up onto her feet. It had only taken a handful of seconds, but it felt like a month. Her muscles sang at the injustice of moving, and once she was upright, she swayed on unsteady legs for a moment, barely managing to roll out of the way as a rocket of sand sped through the air toward the spot where her sternum had been a moment before.

Six Narutos barreled into Gaara, one after the other, and sent him sprawling to the ground in a cloud. The red-haired jinchuuriki was up instantaneously, flickering out of existence and appearing right behind Hinata as she stumbled to a knee.

She felt the keen edge of a knife against the soft skin of her throat.

"Time!" Hinata whispered urgently, tapping the ground. "Gaara-kun! I can't…I can't…!"

The knife spirited away as quickly as it had appeared, and Gaara's hand replaced it. She clutched it eagerly, and forced her wobbling knees to still as she rose to her feet.

"Takin' this pretty damn seriously, man," Naruto said, removing his headband and mopping the sweat from his face with it. As he replaced it over his hair, he added, "What's your deal lately? Somebody piss on your lawn?"

"…No." Gaara seemed to collect himself. "Sorry. I am…"

"You're freaked," Naruto guessed. "This is about the Gatou thing, ain't it? You been bottlin' _somethin' _up since that mission. You're all jumpy."

Gaara wiped his hands on his hips and clenched and unclenched his fists, staring at his hands. "I…suppose I am."

"Look," Naruto tilted his head to the side and grimaced, "I'm not gonna get philosophical or whatever, 'cuz who knows? Maybe your bee-juice—"

"Bijuu."

"—is screwier than mine is or something. But here's the plan, Broham: you gotta vent, you vent. Scream at the sky, punch somebody, break a lamp-post…whatever. Don't try and fake like you ain't got issues."

"We're with you," Hinata said, trying a smile. "You can trust us. You know that."

Gaara nodded. "I do. You're right. Of course." He glanced at Hinata. "Are you feeling all right? Are you injured?"

"It's nothing serious," Hinata said. "You just…surprised me."

"I'm sorry."

"No, no, don't be sorry. Sensei told us not to hold back. It…it's my fault."

Hinata smiled, and patted Gaara's shoulder as she passed him to pick up her jacket. Naruto followed suit, throwing his own coat over his shoulders like a cape. Puffing a stray strand of sweat-slicked hair out of his eyes, he cocked a suspicious eye at Gaara.

Gaara offered the ghost of a smile.

"Hmph," Naruto said, and turned away with a smirk playing at his lips.

He froze.

Hinata was staring. "G-Gaara-kun…" she whispered.

"Ain't that…?"

They all watched as their commanding officer approached them, flanked by two others. One was Iruka, wearing an uncharacteristically grave expression. The other was dressed in a loose, flowing white uniform.

They each knew that face.

Hinata and Naruto shared a look before turning their eyes back to Gaara.

The former scourge of the Hidden Sand struggled to speak, his lips quivering; for the first time in a great number of years, Sabaku no Gaara looked like a child.

"…My…my uncle."

* * *

Yashamaru dropped to his knees in front of his nephew like an acolyte at prayer, and drew the red-haired genin to him without a word. Gaara collapsed against his former caretaker, too stunned to speak. "Look at you, child," Yashamaru whispered. "Look, at how magnificent you are." He pulled back, holding Gaara's shoulders, and beamed. "To think that I should find you again, not only a full-fledged shinobi…but a hero!" He laughed. "Your mother would be proud of you! Almost as proud as I."

Gaara's mouth worked, but he could not speak. "I…"

"Your uncle has come to us as an ambassador for the Hidden Sand," Kakashi said, "with news that is of immense importance to this village. You three are implicated. Come. You are summoned to an audience with the Hokage."

Yashamaru's happy expression soured, but he kept the smile on his face. "Now that I see you…see the person you have become…I don't think that we have anything to worry about." He sounded sincere enough, but lingering doubt danced at the edges of his eyes. "Come, come. Let's get this business done. Then, perhaps you and your teammates can show me your home."

He was cheery enough, but the circumstances were so awkward that the atmosphere of the situation was taut with tension. Iruka's countenance didn't help anything. Though he tried to keep his expression neutral, he wasn't nearly as good at it as Kakashi was. The silver-haired commander kept up his usual poker face of statuesque boredom, and didn't reveal anything about anything.

As they made their way away from the training fields, Gaara held Yashamaru's hand.

They entered the Hokage's private office, the three of them passing glances at each other every few moments. Gaara was still too shocked to say anything, or even react to anything. His uncle spoke to him, and he would offer little grunts and sighs and half-words in response, but for the most part he seemed to be entirely separated from the planet.

Sarutobi looked older than his years, which was quite the feat. He had apparently ensured that there was nobody even close to within earshot of his office, and even so, he spoke so softly that his audience had to lean forward in order to hear him.

"The circumstances I am going to present to you today are…unprecedented. Owing to the rather extraordinary nature of this squad, however, I feel it prudent to involve you directly, as recent intelligence I have received is…directly related to you. Yashamaru, if you would please wait outside while I speak to my soldiers? I make this request not out of disrespect, but necessity."

Yashamaru nodded immediately, and bowed. "Of course."

He squeezed his nephew's hand, then left the room swiftly. Gaara stood there, looking confused. He looked nothing like the ninja he had become over his years of training, but rather like the tiny child he had once been, bereft and abandoned in a sandstorm with only enough understanding of himself to realize that he didn't belong.

No one, not even Kakashi—whose entire combat philosophy, indeed life's philosophy, was comprised of predicting people and their thoughts—could fathom what might have been going through his mind.

Sarutobi seemed to notice this lack of cohesion, and by the twinkle in his eyes…he appreciated it. He said, "Listen to me, you three: the mission I am about to give to you is the most important of your young careers. Succeed, and you will ensure the stability of our entire country. Fail, and you likely incite war. Do you understand?"

Naruto and Hinata straightened subconsciously. Gaara continued to stare.

"Gaara," Sarutobi said slowly, calmly, but with an undercurrent of some tumultuous emotion. "Think back. Take yourself back, years back, to your home in the Hidden Sand. Do you remember? The storms, the jeers, the terrified skittering. Remember. _Entrench_ yourself in it. Are you there?"

The young genin's face had turned hard, his eyes bright. "I am."

"Remember the fear. The confusion. The unbridled hatred. Do you remember?"

"I remember."

"Who did that? Who was responsible for that?"

Gaara scowled. He looked like a feral animal; his teeth suddenly seemed sharp as his lips pulled unconsciously back. He hissed, "…Me."

"No!" Sarutobi leaned forward, pointing a finger at his subordinate. "Not you. Not the demon. The _people _were responsible. And do you know who is responsible for those people? Do you know the person on whose shoulders lie the beliefs and expectations of those people?"

"The Kazekage."

Sarutobi stood up, put his hands on his desk. "And who is the Kazekage?"

"Your ally. My father."

"Tell me something, Gaara: in all those years you spent in your home country, how often did you speak with your father? How often did he come to see you? Do you recall what your father looks like? Did you _ever know _what your father looked like?"

Sarutobi's tone was sharp, and accusatory, and Naruto took an unconscious step forward. Kakashi put a hand on his shoulder; far from being reassuring, it was a silent command. The blond jinchuuriki bristled.

"I don't remember." Gaara swallowed back bile. "He did not speak to me. It was left to my uncle to look after me. Surely, Sarutobi-sama, you know this already. What is this mission? Why do you speak of my father?"

"Because he is at the _heart_ of your mission. Surely youknow that there is no love lost between the two of you. Your father sees you as a threat. His fear trickled down to the citizens under his command. A jinchuuriki is dangerous, not to mention difficult to manage. Why would he send you, the product of so much dangerous experimentation, to me?"

"…I do not know."

"Because he hoped that I might contain you. This village is known for its expertise in sealing techniques, you know. We have several specialists in the art. I am certain that your father hoped I would use such tactics to rein you in, and keep you under control. Once that occurred, he would take you back. Or else make you into my problem." By this point, all faces were set in stone. "And do you know what he has decreed now?" Sarutobi continued. "Do you know _why _your uncle is here, after so many years? Do you know what he has been tasked with doing?"

General shaking of heads.

"No, sir."

"You have three options ahead of you, Gaara: the first is to return to your home. Return to your father, and integrate yourself as a shinobi of the Hidden Sand. If you refuse this first option, your uncle has been order to…treat you as a threat to the Hidden Sand, and rid the world of you."

"…And incite war between our countries," Gaara guessed; his face was strangely blank. No reaction was visible in him at all. "I must leave this place, or else watch this village burn. Is that what you tell me?" A beat of silence. "What is the third option?"

"Strike first. End this charade of complacency, and cut the cancer from the Hidden Sand ourselves. I have known, as I am sure you have known, that the Fourth Kazekage has many faces. He plays the part of steadfast ally rather well, when it suits him. If we cede you to him, he might be content for a time. Perhaps even a long time. He will place Uchiha Sasuke back into our hands, I am sure. He will be certain that he has placed an agent of the Hidden Sand deep within our ranks, playing at doing us a favor."

"You…did not intend for our exchange to be permanent."

"I am sure that _he _did not."

"Then why did you agree to it?"

Sarutobi leaned back.

"Be honest with me," Gaara said, and there were traces of venom in his voice now.

"…I took you in because I believed your presence would be a positive influence." He gestured vaguely to Naruto and Hinata. "I believed that _you _would benefit, as well, and that someone of your potential would be a powerful aid to our efforts at…consolidation. Understand, Gaara, that I have always treated my alliance with your homeland as something of a ticking bomb. It has long been a goal of mine to find…contingency plans, if you will, to solidify our ceasefire into a legitimate partnership. You, and Sasuke, were a part of that."

Gaara crossed his arms, and his face was once again an unreadable mask. "…So, if I am to remain a part of your plan, then I have only these options open to me: abandon the people I have sworn on my life to protect, sacrifice myself, or murder my father."

"Yes."

"And it is my father who has forced your hand. My hand."

"Yes."

"If I allow myself to die, it will be at my _uncle's_ hand."

"Yes."

"If I allow myself to die, you intend to declare war on my homeland."

"Predicated by the proof that it was your homeland who orchestrated it…I do. Such a blatant act of betrayal will not be tolerated in my Hidden Leaf."

"What has my uncle told you? What is his part in this?"

"He is your father's instrument. He was to convince you to return, or else kill you. Instead, he elected to betray his mission and reveal these intentions to me. It is on his recommendation that I take preemptive measures."

"…He has recommended that you kill his own brother-in-law?"

"Precisely."

"Bring him back inside. I will know why." Now, something cracked. In the sterile, echoing silence that followed this command, Gaara's face was a picture in disgusted agony. "It would seem to me that the reasonable answer is to return to my homeland."

Sarutobi smirked without humor. "I think, perhaps, I hoped you would say that. But no matter. I will do as you ask." He gestured, and Kakashi left the room.

* * *

There was something on Gaara's face that resembled disgust as he watched his uncle enter the room. Yashamaru didn't react; he stood stolid, with his arms at his side, and he did not fidget. He was a shinobi of the Hidden Sand, and knew well the dangers of showing any cracks in his armor to advantage.

Gaara's teammates were less than adept at the craft, and it was clear that they were nervous. Uzumaki Naruto had removed his headband, revealing his wild shock of blond hair, and he looked like nothing so much as a cornered animal. Hyuuga Hinata was only slightly more composed; a tremor would go through her every handful of seconds.

It struck Yashamaru that they looked more like children in this moment than they had so many years ago, when they had first visited his homeland and transformed his nephew. Yet Gaara looked like a court executioner. The calm in him was a coiled snake.

"…Why?" Gaara asked softly. Yashamaru didn't speak immediately, opting instead to wait for elaboration. "The Hokage has told me that you've elected to betray the Hidden Sand."

"I have," Yashamaru said, staring Gaara directly in the eye without nervousness and without shame. This seemed to surprise the boy, but only slightly.

"You have recommended to the Hokage that he take up arms against an ally. Against my father."

"I have."

"_Why?"_

Yashamaru decided to take a gamble, and put on an indignant face. A half-sneer, dripping with condescension. "It seems your years here have dampened your memory. Surely, nephew, you remember your father. Surely you remember the make of the man. Your mother, who died to bring you into the world, made a request of me. She asked that I guide you. She asked that I teach you, and protect you, from the country she knew would eat you alive. I have simply decided to honor her request, rather than participate in the blasphemy of your father's cowardice."

"Why would you not recommend that I simply return to the Sand?"

"Because it would only enable his masquerade to continue. Your father has plunged my village even further into the hole it's been digging since the beginning. He has forgotten what it means to be a shinobi. The Hidden Sand has its share of effective soldiers, but his leadership has little, if anything, to do with any of them."

"So this is not about me. I am simply a piece in your scheme to overthrow him."

"Not at all. You are the catalyst, the object, of my understanding. What you have done in the name of the Leaf, what they have allowed you to become, has shown me the true colors of the man to whom I've sworn my service. Trust me when I say that if this farce were a simple matter of returning you to him, I would press upon you the necessity of it. For the sake of the people. But it is not. This act is but one more upon a heap of hundreds, showing how…ineffectual your father has become."

Gaara's fists were clenched, and Yashamaru was convinced in that moment that, had he been permitted to become one of his father's innumerable game-pieces, Gaara would have attacked by now. But his training under the Copy Ninja did not allow for it, and he stayed still. Though Yashamaru's eyes—sharp as they were—could spy grains of sand, slow and sinuous like lazy insects, floating through the air.

Gaara lowered his head. "…Show me."

"I won't have to," said Yashamaru. He glanced at the Hokage.

Sarutobi said, "A number of candidates from the Hidden Sand will be arriving here to our forests. The Chuunin Qualification Examinations will begin within the next few weeks. Tell me, Yashamaru: do you know which candidates the Kazekage intends to send?"

"I do." He glanced back at Gaara. "He will send Uchiha Sasuke, and your own siblings. You will see, when they arrive, what manner of soldier your father builds."

"And you believe this will convince me that my father deserves to die."

"No," said Yashamaru, and his bright eyes flared. "I expect the fact that your mother _died_ as a direct result of his actions to do that."


	37. 3, 6: Examination

_**I mentioned that I would be updating more often, now that I'm trying my best to focus on this story so that it can reach its conclusion in a more timely manner than the one for which I'm assuredly notorious.**_

_**I doubt it will be much of a surprise to you all that I struggled with the Wave Country arc. While it eventually concluded in a satisfactory manner, I do feel that it dragged on for too long, and part of that problem was that I stuck too close to canon. That's not the point of a story like this.**_

_**Hence, I'm treating the Chuunin Exams differently. I'm weaving in my final conflict, and it will change the perspective and the eventual path of the arc. I'll do my best to keep the most interesting and thought-provoking elements intact, because this arc (my personal favorite of the entire series) deserves no less.**_

_**There are problems with this story. I acknowledge it wholeheartedly. I do hope, in spite of those problems, that the ride has been, and will continue to be, enjoyable. Right up until we reach the last chapter, whenever that might happen to be. I'll probably go back and touch it up later, but I think I'll need the luxury of perspective to do that right. So I'll just focus on reaching the finish line, and let it breathe for a while.**_

_**That seems the reasonable thing.**_

* * *

It bothered Hinata—surely it bothered Naruto, too, but he seemed bound and determined not to show it—that Gaara's reunion with his caretaker was so bleak. As days turned into weeks, and the Chuunin Exams loomed over their heads, Gaara simply continued his training. He joined in when Naruto took the young medic out to lunch, but he said little more than a handful of words in a given conversation.

Not that Gaara was especially talkative in the best of times; but they all would have expected him to be delighted, playing tour guide for his uncle. They expected him to open up, for the shell that had been crystalizing around him since Gatou to crack.

It didn't.

Perhaps it wasn't an expectation; perhaps it was simply hope.

Delusional, ultimately pointless hope.

Yashamaru might have been hurt by this distance, but he didn't show it. He was just as light and friendly as he'd ever been, urging Gaara to participate without showing any sense of disappointment when he inevitably didn't. More than likely, Gaara had been like this before, so it was—sadly—no surprise.

Naruto might have taken Gaara aside to chastise him, if not for the fact that he felt like he had no right to say anything. He'd confided in Hinata: "What'm I s'posed to say? He's gotta decide whether or not he wants to…kill his own _dad. _I mean, do _you _have any clue what that feels like? _I_ don't."

Hinata _didn't_ know, but it still bothered her. She remembered Yashamaru. She remembered him fondly. And it stung, whenever she saw the quickly-hidden pain that lanced through his face when he looked at his nephew.

Gaara trained, the same as the rest of them; it was a testament to his discipline that he managed to focus on anything. He was becoming more and more violent, but paradoxically, his control over his own body, not to mention the sand, was _increasing. _Nonetheless, there was something in his eyes, some dark gleam that had been festering there for what seemed like weeks.

It was like Yashamaru had brought the Hidden Sand back with him and, like an addict falling back on old habits, Gaara was withdrawing into himself.

Hinata redoubled her efforts, like she always did when she was nervous and conflicted, but she noticed that she was doing most of her training at the Hyuuga Compound. It wasn't that she didn't _want _to be with her team. It was that she didn't feel like she _should._

Hanabi noticed the change in her sister. One day, after sparring together in front of their father—who said nothing throughout the entire ordeal, and simply left as soon as it was over—she asked. "What's happening? Why aren't you on duty? Why aren't you working with Naruto-san and Gaara-san?"

Hinata sat down, wiped her forehead with the back of her right hand, and said, "…I think they need to be alone right now." She didn't say that she was afraid for her safety, but it was written on her face. She loved the two of them like brothers, but she was intimately aware of the danger that lurked inside them. She'd seen it, firsthand. There was no question in her mind that if either of them lost control like that again—or Heaven forbid, _both_—and she was caught in the crossfire…she wouldn't make it out alive.

No matter how much she trained; no matter how dedicated she was at improving herself; no matter how talented she might become; she was no match for a jinchuuriki in the throes of its unholy power.

She said none of this, yet somehow her sister seemed to read…well, at least parts of it on her face. Hanabi said, "Are you frightened of them?"

"…Sometimes."

"Do you think they'll hurt you?"

"Not—not on purpose."

"But you think they might. Don't you?"

"Yes. That's why they need to be alone."

"I'm sorry."

A heartbroken little smile crossed Hinata's face, and she stroked back her sister's hair. Hanabi smiled back. Hinata leaned forward and kissed the girl's forehead.

They stood, and resumed their stances.

* * *

When _they_ arrived, Naruto was training with Konohamaru and what was fast becoming his personal entourage. There was Hanabi, of course; but there was also a red-haired girl named Moegi, who seemed bound and determined to win Konohamaru's affection away from the young Hyuuga. Hanabi, for her part, remained determinedly oblivious.

And there was Udon, an unassuming boy with eyeglasses who was…well, for lack of a more sophisticated way of putting it, a mystery. He wasn't particularly strong, nor quick, nor even precise in combat. But when time came to plan things out, even Konohamaru deferred to him. A tactician? Perhaps he was like Shikamaru. Nobody really knew, and Udon seemed perfectly content to keep it that way.

They called it "Playing Ninja," but Naruto was never happy unless he was finding some way to improve himself. The game, as the Konohamaru Corps seemed to see it, was to force Naruto's hand. The game, as _Naruto_ seemed to see it, was to use the most outlandish techniques possible to handicap himself. He would stand on his hands, tie one of his legs to the opposite leg of a clone and fight like he was in a three-legged race. He would pull his headband over his eyes to blind himself. He would fight using objects, and refuse to touch his opponents with any part of his body.

One time, he invited Hinata to join in, and attempted to recreate Jyuuken. He told Hinata that she should emulate _his _style. She tried, but it ended up looking just as ridiculous as Naruto's attempts to use the Gentle Fist.

The young students were delighted to engage in these games, eventually coming to realize that this wasn't just fun; it was useful. Iruka approved of the practice, and even Kakashi seemed pleased—though it was always hard to tell with him.

Gaara tended to avoid these events, for reasons they'd both learned not to question.

The kids were in the middle of their latest plot—which involved gunpowder, bed-sheets, and superglue—when the first visitors arrived. One of them was dressed all in black, his face painted with strange symbols; he wore some strange, bandaged burden slung over his shoulders like a pack. His headband marked him as belonging to the Sand.

Another, a girl this time, was blonde-haired and carried a giant fan. She was dressed in a light-colored robe over a fishnet shirt; her legs were bare, well-toned, and her skin was lightly tanned. She had dark eyes, and wore her headband around her neck, like Hinata. Unlike Hinata, however, she exuded confidence like a perfume.

The third member of this party was…strange.

He seemed younger than the other two. His jet-black hair framed his face, though it spiked up wildly in the back. He was dressed in a white robe like Temari was, though his was long enough to whisper about his shins; a sleek, unadorned sword was tucked into a sash around his waist. He wore black gloves and black sandals. He moved slowly, smoothly, deliberately.

His eyes were an abyss.

Hinata recognized him, barely, as Uchiha Sasuke.

Which meant that the other two were Gaara's brother and sister.

Sasuke had distanced himself from the other two, glancing about his surroundings with a detached sort of interest, like a scientist observing something outside of his field of study; his training refused to let him do a sloppy job, but he clearly didn't care a lick for anything he saw.

The other two watched the children at play, and the expressions on their faces—while subtle—showed general distaste.

Konohamaru, who was certainly not known for his observational skills (particularly when it came to his surroundings), was looking over his shoulder and ran headlong into the one in black. Hinata searched the back of her mind and remembered Gaara telling her once that his name was Kankurou.

Time slowed to a stop as Konohamaru stumbled backward and fell onto his backside.

Kankurou stared down at the boy, looking innately superior. "…That hurt. Is that how you welcome visitors? Rude." This last came out in an almost seductive hiss.

Konohamaru winced and collected himself. "…Sorry," he mumbled.

Something flashed in Kankurou's eyes. "Sorry? You're _sorry?" _He reached down and lifted the Hokage's grandson up by the scarf he wore around his neck. "That's all you've got to say? You're pretty…impertinent. You know that, kid?"

The girl—Temari?—sighed heavily. "…Here we go."

Sasuke blissfully ignored the entire exchange. He seemed to be pretending not to notice Naruto.

"H-Hey!" Konohamaru grunted. "I said I was sorry! Lemme go!"

"Yeah. Sorry. Real sincere." Kankurou sneered.

"D'you know who I am? Don't you call me a liar! Let _go!"_

Hinata stepped forward. "Kankurou-san?" she ventured. "That is your name, isn't it?"

The boy with the painted face turned his attention to her. He looked surprised. "…Who're you?"

Hinata bowed. "My name is Hinata. I'm a genin for the Hidden Leaf. I'm helping these students with their training." She gestured to the other three. "I take full responsibility for Konohamaru-kun's mistake. Please. Let him go. He meant no offense to you."

Naruto, following Hinata's lead, let his rising anger slough off his face. It was surprising, seeing him exert such control over his emotions. He was usually so quick to attack anyone he perceived as a bully, which Kankurou more than likely was.

Perhaps it had to do with Gaara.

"You take responsibility, huh?" Kankurou smirked, and scoffed derisively. "Well, ain't that something? Hear that? She _takes responsibility."_

"That's right," Naruto murmured. "So I'd say it might be one _dandy _idea if ya let the kid go. If you don't, I'll hafta take it as a sign. I'm gonna guess, by that little symbol you got there on your forehead, you're from the desert. Think I mighta seen you, few years back. So there's some leeway, since you don't really know how things work around here. But, uh…generally not considered polite to go pickin' on people smaller 'n you. People might talk. People might think you're grandstanding. Oh, lookit me, I'm a badass. I can beat up on trainees."

If there was one thing that his years of living alongside Gaara and Hinata had given Naruto, it was this calm belligerence. It was like, and yet unlike him; and it was always fascinating to watch him use it. Kankurou, for his part, seemed legitimately surprised. Temari, too, looked impressed in spite of herself.

Sasuke wasn't listening.

Kankurou kept hold of Konohamaru's scarf, holding him up in the air, though he lowered his arm slightly, pulling the boy down toward his side. One of Konohamaru's feet scrambled to reach the ground. "What's your name, Leaf?"

Naruto quirked an eyebrow. "Let's skip the part where you pretend to care. That kid's a friend of mine. I don't like it when friends of mine are treated like trash. Tends t' make me angry."

Kankurou glanced dismissively at Konohamaru, then tossed him aside like a cheap doll. He began to step forward, arms at his sides, his fingers twitching spasmodically. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were threatening me. Is that any way to treat your elders?"

"…You don't wanna know my track record with my elders. Look, listen: I got nothin' against you. Yet. And we're all here for the same thing, right? Gonna go for the gold, prove to our _elders _we got what it takes to move on up. So how 'bout we shake hands, move past this whole thing, and save it for the field. Huh? Whaddaya say?"

Naruto offered his standard toothy grin, but Hinata noticed without much effort that it didn't reach his eyes.

Kankurou stopped a bare inch from Naruto, staring down at him.

"…How 'bout not?"

* * *

Sabaku no Gaara watched as his brother—he didn't recognize the look of him, but knew the _feel _of him immediately—reared back to strike. The fact that Naruto vanished in a puff of smoke, as he was wont to do, made no difference to the sudden swell of indignant fury that rose up in Gaara's chest. Something about the surprise on Kankurou's face only served to anger him further. It felt like an insult.

"Kankurou. Enough."

The words came out dark, and seething. Some part of him knew that it was the demon, leaking through the cracks in his defenses; the rest of him put up only the feeblest of efforts to fight back. He understood what his uncle had meant, now that he was faced with it. This was the breed of ninja that his father produced. That his people produced.

The brother Gaara had once striven to impress; the brother he had once longed to stand beside, was now a product of hubris. Gaara wanted to break him.

No. No, that wasn't right.

The _demon _wanted to—_damn it!_

Oh, God.

A torrent of thoughts and fears danced across Gaara's face as he stepped into the daylight for the first time in a week. He was pale, and cold, and angry. The demon was gratified to see Kankurou's face slacken. The demon chuckled when Temari—sister dearest, elder to them all—drew in a gasp. The Uchiha boy was finally gripped with some measure of interest, and that was fine for the demon, also. Just fine.

"…Gaara," Kankurou offered, his painted eyes going narrow with suspicion. "You're softer than I remember."

This was a lie. The demon knew it, and it was the demon's smirk that lifted Gaara's lips.

"It's…good to see you," Temari offered. She had always been the one who tried to play peacemaker, _back then. _But even so, she only put in the most rudimentary of efforts. She was only concerned with…well. Gaara didn't know _what _his sister was concerned with. He only knew that it wasn't him. It wasn't the family.

"'Bout time you showed your face again." Naruto was up in a tree, lounging, and all eyes turned up to him. "Want we should, ah…leave you alone? Letcha reacquaint yourself with the family?"

Gaara blinked, slowly, like a lazy cat. "…No. I have seen what I needed to see." He glanced passively at the people he had once counted as family—blood of his blood—and turned away. "Save your peacocking for the exams. Unless, of course, that's all you have to show for yourself."

He began to walk away, realizing that not a single one of his innumerable questions had been answered by this meeting.

Nothing had been resolved.

"You are the third son of the Kazekage. Aren't you?"

He turned. The third member of his siblings' party had spoken. Deep black eyes burned with some invisible fire, and the demon reared up in anticipation.

"And you are the last son of the Uchiha," Gaara replied slowly.

"…I want to fight you."

Gaara frowned. Then he turned away again, and kept walking.

"I'll not begrudge you the chance."

"I look forward to it."

"You shouldn't."


	38. 3, 7: Dichotomy

_**School, work, a novel, and a funeral. The past few months have been murder on my general state of mind. It's odd, when you look at something objectively, and realize that—while it never seemed like all that much in the moment—you've gone through some serious life-changing…things.**_

_**I've submitted my first work of fiction to a paying publication; I've been published in an award-winning literary magazine; I've been saddled with the longest research paper I've ever come across in my academic career as a final project; there's been a death in my family, my little brother got called into his principal's office regarding "adult material" he watched at a friend's house, and through all of this, my brain has been largely unable to keep up.**_

_**My stories have suffered for this, but we're coming up on a new year pretty soon. That always seems like a good breaking-off point, where we dust off the old and herald in the new. For about a week. Then, you know, we start back with the old habits.**_

_**New Year's Resolutions are the ultimate lie we tell ourselves.**_

_**In any case, let's check in on our intrepid band of…hero-ish folks. Shall we?**_

* * *

They sat together in the dark, the night before the exams. There was no more tactful way to say it than that Hinata and Naruto had cornered their red-haired brother and staged an intervention. Naruto did most of the talking, because that was his way. Hinata merely watched Gaara's reactions, and gave silent signals—a squeeze on the arm, a sharp look, a sigh—to tell Naruto when to pull back, and when to forge ahead.

"Kakashi-sensei taught us," Naruto said at one point, a few minutes to midnight. "We don't play it close to the chest. Not with each other. Not when it's our asses on the line. And these exams are important, right? And not only that, but…we're looking at being put on an assassination! You think we don't know that's a big deal to you? Oh, sure, I ain't got my parents anymore. And yeah, Old Man Hyuuga is…well. Whatever. Point is, we aren't _stupid, _man. Maybe we don't understand, but that's what talking's for! We're a team. Remember that part?"

Gaara seemed about to make some waspish retort, but stopped himself. He said, "The only man I respected when I lived in that sandstorm was my uncle. I didn't know it at the time, but…he was the only man I loved. And here he is, a representative for my brother, and my sister, and my father, and the Uchiha…betraying his country for me."

"By the letter of the law, maybe he is betraying his country," Naruto said, "but…what? You think he doesn't care about the Sand? Guys like that don't do stuff like that 'cuz they hate their country. They do it 'cuz they _love _their country. C'mon, Gaara, be honest. I've been to your home, remember? It was a cesspool. People scared to go outside, people praying on the streets for God knows what absolution. Guards pointing weapons at kids playing tag."

"That was all because of _me!" _Gaara suddenly cried out.

"Bullshit!" Naruto shot back. "That's a copout! A dirty goddamn copout!" Gaara, stunned, stared at the blond in open horror. "That's the Kage's job! It's the Kage's responsibility to see to the freaking people! And it's the people's job to stand up! You were a kid, Gaara, same as me! Same as Hinata! Same as—same as any of us!"

"…Did you ever terrorize your peers, in a misguided attempt to fit in?"

"Probably! But the funny part is, that guy you call Sarutobi-sama never tried to have me _assassinated, _either. You're a product of your surroundings, Gaara. That's somethin' Iruka-sensei said to me once. He said, we're all a product of our surroundings, and we shape ourselves from the outside based on what people think of us. We shape ourselves from the inside based on what we think of ourselves. There's a…a balance, right? You weren't balanced. Your whole frickin' village wasn't balanced. _They _screwed it up for _you. _Hear me? You know how I know? Lookit what this place made you into. Lookit what you've done in the Hidden Leaf. I mean…c'mon. Seriously? You're gonna sit here and blame yourself for those guys bein' stupid? You know what you are to the people here? An example. You're the favorite. First round draft pick. Rising star. All that jazz. That's you. _That's _what you are. So man up and act like it."

Gaara lowered his eyes, closed them, drew in several deep breaths.

When he opened them again, they were the eyes that his teammates remembered.

He said, "…Okay."

* * *

Gaara watched his brother and sister. As they were all being funneled into the room that would house the first exam, he paid close attention to the way they acted. How they moved. What they said. He paid no attention to the rest of his first-year peers, nor to the upper-classman with silver hair that was trying to prepare them for the tests ahead.

He watched Kankurou. He watched Temari.

He paid no mind to Sasuke, either, because that one didn't concern him. He wanted to know how the people who shared blood with him had turned out, under the leadership of the man his uncle wanted him to kill. What had Yashamaru wanted him to see? What had Yashamaru wanted him to understand? He had an idea, yes. Of course he did. And he could predict the rest of it rather easily. But he was facing a decision that would affect lives, and he needed more than predictions and hunches. He needed more than petulant arrogance and apathy.

He needed proof.

He needed evidence.

He needed truth.

To say that Kankurou was confident would have been roughly equivalent to saying Naruto was loud. It seemed a defining characteristic of his nature. He was downright haughty, staring down his painted nose at everything and everyone around him, including to upper-ranked ninja acting as security. The little leaf etched into their headbands seemed to insult him.

Temari wasn't so much confident as she was…unconcerned. Like Sasuke, she seemed to place very little importance on the exam itself. The only emotion she seemed willing—or able—to express was exasperation at her younger brother's domineering strut. Unless Gaara missed his guess, she knew that he was watching her, scrutinizing and searching. She did not seem surprised or concerned about it, though. If anything, it seemed to amuse her.

The first leg of the examination was a written test. Immediately, Gaara suspected foul play. Such a thing seemed far too pedestrian, especially considering the hulking barrel of a man that Sarutobi had elected to run it. As he sat down, far apart from either of his teammates, and glanced over the sheet of paper in his hands, Gaara slowly realized—it was like the tide was rising up along a beach, slow and crawling but relentless—that he had no idea what any of it meant. These were equations and scenarios so far beyond anything he understood, and on the heels of that came the dumbstruck realization that they weren't the point.

The examiner had said, "Those who try to cheat without thinking carefully will…hurt themselves. And others."

Yashamaru was part of the security detail. He hadn't even bothered to disguise himself. The man's eyes were slowly dragging themselves through the room. He held a clipboard in front of him, but unlike his fellows he was not writing on it. He held a pencil in his other hand, but it dangled nonchalantly at his side. He clearly had no intention of using it.

He wasn't even looking at the students. Instead, he was staring at the ceiling. Gaara followed his uncle's gaze and saw…

Mirrors?

Back to Yashamaru; now he was looking over toward the front of the room, at one of the few people actually writing anything. Then he closed his eyes, shook his head vigorously, and rubbed his eyes.

"If your aim is to prove to us that you're _real _ninja," the examiner had said, "then act like it."

The clues were in the instructions, and it seemed that Yashamaru understood something. Gaara looked back at his paper. It struck him that if he didn't understand—and he surely didn't—the questions, then Naruto had no chance. He was a man (so to speak) of action, and his theoretical knowledge of the arts of war was…well, abysmal.

He looked up again, an now Yashamaru was watching one of his fellows. They were all wearing the same uniform, grey and nondescript and…almost part of the scenery. But Yashamaru was fixated on one of them in particular.

Gaara frowned. The object of his uncle's attention was sitting nearest to Kankurou.

People started getting caught, and their teams were being eliminated. As the answer crystalized in Gaara's mind, sand began to gather like needy pets around his feet.

* * *

Ten points. Nine questions. Tenth coming toward the end.

Ten points. Nine _stupid freaking questions. _Last hope toward the end.

Sheesh.

Was this some kind of sick joke? Proof that he wasn't suited to do this? There wasn't a damn thing on this _stupid _paper that anyone'd ever covered in class. Not Iruka, not the old man, not Kakashi, _nobody! _Was this designed to make him understand that there wasn't any room in the shinobi world for stupid excuses?

Uzumaki Naruto didn't think of himself as a whiner. Not _really. _But he was known to voice out against things he thought were unfair. There was a big part of him, sitting in this exam hall right now, who wanted to shout and scream and punch things, because this was _seriously _unfair.

But he kept looking up at that Ibiki guy, with his scars and his long coat and his stupid face, and Naruto realized…what the hell did he care? And, right behind that, why _should _he? It wasn't his job to make things fair. Right? That mission to the Wave hadn't been fair. What good would it've done for him to bitch and whine at Zabuza? Or Haku? Or those guys with poison on their claws? Or…fuck, Gatou?

No, seriously. Fuck Gatou.

They wouldn't have changed things just 'cuz it didn't match up with Naruto's own expectations. And here he was, facing the chance to move up in the ranks. The chance to rise to the level of the man who'd given him his headband. This was Naruto's chance to prove himself to that man, the man who'd given him so many opportunities.

He wasn't gonna screw it up just 'cuz Ibiki was a tool-bag.

But still…what the _hell _was he supposed to do?

Cradling his head in his hands, Naruto contemplated his own inadequacy, and the futility of the universe, and whether broth counted as a food group—and never before had he been more desperate to have someone nearby on whom he could lean for support; someone smart, someone who could tell him _something. _But no. He was sitting in between a pair of goons he'd never met before.

They were probably stupid.

He was just gearing up to bet everything on the final question, hoping against hope that Gaara and Hinata would make up for a horrible performance and maybe, just maybe, convince themselves not to murder him, when he happened to glance down at the floor and spy a thin, innocuous tendril of sand inching its way along, slipping and sliding until it made out a word:

**_Cheat_**

It was only there for a second, just long enough to read, before it changed.

**_Testing how well_**

Another change:

**_We can cheat_**

Last:

**_Don't Get Caught_**

* * *

Seventy-eight.

It was baffling. That there were so many genin battling for the chance to rise in the ranks. Hinata didn't like to think of herself as especially talented; surrounded as she was, on all sides, from truly gifted shinobi, it was a shock to her sensibilities that she was sitting here at the end of the first leg that would (potentially) mark the end of her days as a genin. That there were so many others was, at one end of the spectrum, gratifying. It made her feel good about her fellows, and it made her feel connected to them. But on the other end, it made her nervous.

Every one of these people was competing for the same position she was.

But then…she couldn't blame them. Given the right platform, Naruto really was an inspiring presence; nobody knew that better and more intimately than she did. And somehow, she'd known he would speak up when Ibiki started talking about the tenth question being all-or-nothing.

"What kinda coward do you take me for?" he'd demanded, standing up from his seat. "What, you think just 'cuz you throw some questions at me that I'm gonna turn tail? Don't you treat us like children, you son of a bitch! I'll take your last question. I'll take it and I'll chew it up and I'll spit it back in your stupid face. You don't scare me. You don't scare a damn one of us. So get on with it!"

He had just the right kind of belligerence that impressed certain people, even though it tended to exasperate most. Morino Ibiki was one of those certain people. And just like that, the test was over. They passed. Just by _taking_ their final question, by agreeing to take that gamble. The more Hinata thought about it, the more it made sense. It did make her wonder about the point behind the paper test, but…well, maybe that was why she wasn't a chuunin yet. Maybe she would understand once everything was over.

Seventy-eight candidates, moving on to the second test. As Hinata stood up and started to leave the hall, wondering what the next day might have in store for her, she noticed that Gaara's uncle was heading for her. She smiled, and waved, and he returned the gesture.

Once outside, she noticed that for all his bravado, Naruto was shaking slightly. He drew in a deep breath and shook his head violently. "I'm freaking _dumb, _you guys know that, right?"

"Not at all," Yashamaru said with a smile. "That was quite a display."

"Sure, sure. But if I…"

The small-talk continued. Hinata noted that Gaara seemed calmer than he had been, but still withdrawn and sullen. His eyes weren't burning anymore, but embers still lurked there. She caught his eye, but didn't say anything. She merely smiled and gave him a reassuring nod.

Gaara sighed. Stopped walking.

Yashamaru stopped, too, and glanced over at his nephew. "Gaara?"

"…I'll do it."

* * *

_**It moved quickl**__**y, and it probably wouldn't make sense for anyone who hasn't watched the Chuunin Exams arc recently, but what I tried to do with this chapter was move it along at a decent clip, while adding in the elements that would have changed, based on my understanding of what I've done.**_

_**While there may be issues with this chapter, I feel it represents what I should have done with the previous story arc.**_

_**I hope that you enjoyed this, and that you'll join me for the next leg of the race.**_


End file.
